Legend! The Forgotten Hero and Eternal Swordsman
by I.K.A. Valian
Summary: A better TOS/Zelda Crossover! A new Hero, Link, is tossed into another world, and awakens an evil that matches Ganondorf. Now, with all of Aselia involved, it's up to Link, Princess Zelda, Lloyd and the gang to set everything right.
1. I Prologue & Chapter One

Legend!

The Forgotten Hero and the Eternal Swordsman

By I.K.A. Valian

* * *

_The Dark Wizard Agahnim terrorized the humans of ancient Aselia. What resistance existed was led by a strange group of warriors who stood out from the native human population because of their pointed ears. That was one thing the strange group shared with the Dark Wizard, their origin._

_They chased the mad man across the cosmos. After much hardship, they arrived on Aselia, but it was too late to stop Agahnim's initial assault on the planet. With innocents caught up in the struggle against the Dark Wizard, the desperate warriors made their last effort to put an end to their former companion._

* * *

_**Prologue: Those That Went Before**_

"Your reign of terror ends here, Agahnim."

The Dark Wizard looked up from the leafy dry pages of the Book of Niflheim. Before his skeletal throne stood a mixture of warriors and mages, eight in total. A sneer crossed the old wizard's face as unpleasant memories came to him unbidden.

"I see you again found me. A wasted effort, Neppolo," he growled. He felt darker and deeper parts of his soul writhing in anguish. When they'd set out on this journey, he let those emotions control him, but he grew far beyond their scope and power now.

He stood up, his back muscles tense, spine straight, and his shoulders set stiffly. With his left hand he closed the book and clutched it against his chest as a deep purple aura flowed from the leather bound pages. "I've discovered the truth of the world, Neppolo. I've discovered the path to true, unstoppable power. The likes of which only the Goddesses know. Something even the all powerful Triforce is forced to obey. Once I've acquired this power, I shall return to Hyrule and rule it in my rightful place as GOD!"

"He speaks nonsense," a green-haired woman on Neppolo's left said, "there is no such power." Agahnim snarled inwardly as he turned his burning gaze upon that damned woman. The scar on his chest pulsed with ache as he did. That damned Zephyr and her damn wind magic.

"And besides," said the young man next to her, "we wouldn't let you find that power anyway." He tapped his tall battle staff on the stone floor for emphasis.

"Enough of this," Agahnim said. With a quick swipe of his hand, he sent a pulse of dark energy racing toward the eight. He expected them to be knocked back, but the energy bounced off of a white energy field being projected around the group.

"Enough indeed," said Neppolo. He held up his hand. In his palm sat an object. It had three ebony colored triangles with silver half moons sprouting from each outside face of the triangles. The object sat upright, seemingly untouched by gravity.

"I never thought I'd see the day when the great and glorious leader Neppolo ran out of ideas," said Agahnim. "You know that my power has grown beyond that little trinket's ability. So why exactly did you bring it here?" Agahnim felt the edges of his lips curl upward from the excitement coursing through him. It truly would be the last time that he'd have to deal with these fools. He didn't need to be careful anymore so he let that beastly part of his soul free and relished the taste of his moment of victory.

But his loathing for these people halted him from lashing out immediately. This confrontation was different from the previous ones they've had. No one was even looking at him; they were all staring at the useless bauble that Neppolo was holding. He needed to know what it was that Neppolo had up his sleeve this time. What were they doing with the Proto-Triforce?

"I would have thought all of you would try to jump me," he said, trying to lure the tall man to give up some information. "I guess you learned your lesson. Why are you here if this is not a futile attempt to kill me?"

"Everyone," Neppolo said, his voice ringing, completely ignoring the Dark Wizard in front of him. "It's time. The Proto-Triforce has finished charging."

Agahnim tilted his head to the side again. Even he wanted to see what they were going to try. He let his curiosity get the better of him. He could kill them any time he wanted at his current level of power. Heck, he could destroy all of Aselia if he really wanted to. But that fireworks show he wanted to save for last.

Neppolo held up the Proto-Triforce just as everyone fell into a V formation behind him. The Proto-Triforce glowed brightly and launched a beam of light at Agahnim. He didn't the need to deflect or protect himself from the light. He could sense easily enough that it was just plain photonic light.

The Dark Wizard started with a light chuckle. "That's it?!" Agahnim asked through his laughter. His mirth quickly escalated into great, deep, bellows of laughter. The disturbing sound echoed throughout the chamber for several long minutes. The Dark Wizard only fell silent when he caught on to what was happening to him; when he heard the book in his arms drop to the floor with a loud thud.

"What?!"

"This is how it ends," said Neppolo. His cheeks were like rock, his brow set in stone, but his eyes were filled with remorse, "and how it begins. Goodbye Agahnim. May the Goddesses purify your soul in your eternal sleep." Agahnim fell to his knees, his body losing control of anything below his waist. His teeth were grit in an ugly grimace of failing resistance.

"Curse you Neppolo!" Agahnim shouted, spittle flying from his blood swollen face. "Curse you all. I swear I'll come back…" he shouted as the beam sucked the soul from his body. His head, being the first point hit by the light, was the last part of his soul to go. Thus it was that Agahnim fell onto his back and his words became slurred. "…and when I do, I'll hunt every one of you down and kill you. Do you hear me! I'll kill you all! You are all dead!" And he was gone.

* * *

_**Chapter One The Hero, The Princess, And The Pig King **_

* * *

**The Ancient Evil: The Pig King**

The halls of the Golden Pyramid, central location of the Dark World, were long and dark. They smelled bad as well, the air stale with the millennia old scent of blood and death. Not that it bothered him; he liked it. He was the King of Evil after all.

"M-master, where are we going?"

He grunted and ignored the imp following him. Why did he keep a sniveling little cretin like that around anyway? All he did was complain. He did make for good target practice though. Deciding that it had been long enough since he'd heard himself speak, he deigned the diminutive creature following on his heels with an answer.

"We are traveling down this hallway," he said in his deep gravely and booming voice. He smirked at the witty comment. He had so few opportunities in the last hundred or so years to let himself just be a jerk. It felt good to finally be powerful enough to let himself go like this. The Dark World wars took a large chunk of his time up for the past few hundred years. But now, having finally solidified his control over the Dark World denizens, he could finally concentrate on beating that damn Hero and Princess in the Light World.

"But w-what is at the end of this hallway, M-master?"

He could feel his blood boiling as he remembered every time a Hylian _boy _defeated him with that… that _**blasted blade**_. And the way that princess, _every time_, looked down at him with… with _**pity**__._ It was enough to make his vision turn red.

By now he was so worked up he thought nothing of grabbing the imp following him by the neck and squeezing until he felt several satisfying popping and crunching noises. When he realized what he'd done, he casually tossed the dead minion into the wall and snapped his fingers. The Triforce of Power in his meaty right fist grew hot as the powers of the universe did his bidding and reversed the damage he'd done.

Satisfied that his favorite target was back, he turned and started walking down the hallway again. He was down here for a single reason, a simple one at that. Curiosity.

One of his minions reported that a cave-in further into the pyramid had revealed a new hallway that was not known to have existed. Since he acquired this pyramid from a particularly powerful guardian, he felt compelled to explore this new sector himself. Whatever was hidden inside had to be something big to get a giant golden pyramid all to itself. There wasn't anything else in the whole place that really merited such extravagance. Except himself.

He let his mind go blank as he meandered down the baron golden hall. The stench of death became more prominent the further he went, leaving the smell of blood behind. Personally, he wished the steps leading to his throne room in the pyramid did as good a job as this hallway did. He might just have to move his throne room to whatever room was at the end of this hallway.

When he came to the end of the hallway he was confronted with a coffin. Now, he'd raided several crypts for raw undead minion material many times in his extended lifetime. It would be quite fair to say he'd seen his share of coffins. But this one set the bar a level higher than any of the most extravagant coffins he'd ever seen before.

For one thing, it was as tall as he was, just over twelve feet. The name plaque mounted on the side of it was formed of three different shades of gold, set on top of gold siding, built into golden frames, and mounted on a golden platform. Considering that the entire pyramid was made of solid gold, the construction of the coffin wasn't surprising.

It wasn't the grandeur that set this coffin apart from its brethren. It wasn't the difficulty of finding the tomb either. It boiled down to two things. The name on the plaque and the holographic image of a shining Triforce hovering above the coffin.

"Here lies the King of Old, thy Hyruler. Murdered through treachery by Lowruler. He forever lives in the power of the Royal Triforce."

As his minion read the rest of the laundry list every royal tomb contained, he reached up to his thick, broad chin and scratched it slowly, thoughts and explanations for this tomb's existence filtering through his mind.

This dead king could possibly predate the existence of Hyrule as it is now. The way the list of accomplishments read, this king ruled the Light world, the Dark world, the Twilight Realm… he literally ruled the entire world! And he did it for thousands of years. This was exactly what he wanted to do. And now that he knew it was possible…

"…and by decree of the Royal Family, all records of events and knowledge are secured with the Great Father for all time."

His eye twitched and his heart began racing. The knowledge was in this coffin. The tools he needed to finally conquer all worlds were stored under his feet for the last five hundred years. This news was so fantastic he backhanded his favorite target into the wall, satisfied with the loud splat and fountain of innards that resulted. In a rush to get what he desired, he gripped the edge of the coffin's lid and heaved.

Though it had been sealed for many, many years, the golden coffin lid glided open as easily as if it had been made the day before. The holographic image of the three golden triangles however disappeared the moment he touched it. He didn't really care though, he just needed into the coffin.

His nerves were electrified; uncontained exuberance caused him to immediately reach in and rip the dead body, still perfectly preserved, from its resting place and fling it next to the dead minion.

After searching for several minutes through the frilly ruffles of gold thread spun lining, he felt hope give way to desperation, desperation to aggravation, aggravation to outrage, and outrage to seething anger. With a great heave and show of power, he lifted the entire golden coffin above his head, looking very much like a midget lifting a two story house, and threw it into the wall.

"WHERE IS IT!" he bellowed, his rage echoing out of the room, down the hall, and out into the rest of the Dark World. Ever one of his minions immediately knew to avoid him at all costs, lest they wish to suffer an early, and most likely, violent death.

He needed to kill something. Where was his favorite target? Ah yes, that stain on the wall. He snapped his fingers in his minion's general direction and felt the Triforce of Power do its work once more. However, instead of his minion reforming and reanimating, the body of the dead king came to life.

Well, he thought, maybe the dead guy can tell me what I want to know. If not, he's my next target!

The dead king stood up. His form was enshrouded in an unearthly white glow. His eyes projected a soft bluish white light. All these signs of relatively obvious and dated necromancing magic.

"You who posses the Triforce of Power, bow before your King." The reanimated corps lifted its arm and pointed in his direction. When he did nothing but watch him, the walking corpse sneered and whipped his hand at him.

Almost immediately, he fell to his knees. The dead bastard was trying to posses him. He wasn't going to stand here and let some dead freak take him. The only ones who he would even acknowledge as capable of that were _that_ boy and _that_ princess.

Forcing his fist into the floor a good inch, he drew deeply from the power of the Triforce and grabbed the essence invading his mind. With pure force of will and grit borne from three thousand, three hundred, and eighty five years of fighting, he sucked up the soul of the dead king, consuming the old man in his entirety.

For a moment, the world slowed to a crawl as his spirit absorbed and fused with the deca-millennial old king. He saw stars, images, things he never thought would or could have happened in another time and age. An entire civilization's rise and fall in the blink of an eye passed before him. When it was all done, he sat on the ground, unable to form a single cognitive process.

The king himself was the record of the ancient past that he sought. Now he had it, all of it, every secret of ever magic spell he knew and those he didn't were laid before him like the master score before a Sympnonia's maestro. He knew where the tribes came from, both in the Dark World and the Light. He knew the secrets of the Twili, the purpose behind the Twilight mirror's construction. He even knew the origin of the Sheikah. Everything, all of it, was his now. And now that he knew, nothing was ever going to be the same.

A plan immediately formed in his head. He knew exactly how to beat _that_ boy now. With this plan his lips parted. It started as a low growl and quickly escalated into a deep, gut busting barking. That slowly crawled higher into a maniacal evil laughter that shook the very pyramid he sat in. The sound could be heard throughout the Dark World. All his minions, earlier disturbed by his shouts of rage, now rejoiced with glee. A reckoning was coming to their master's enemies.

* * *

**The Weakest Link: The Hero**

He glanced over his shoulder and felt a trill of panic shoot up his spine, bounce off of his brain, and end up back in his gut. Lanieu was literally just inches away from him. Inches away from pounding him to a pulp.

"Where do you think you're running, Wimpy Linky?" taunted his vile enemy. "I don't think the _Hero _is supposed to run away?"

He dodged one of the kids running at him and rolled between another kid's legs. Desperately, his terror fueled brain searched for a way out of the square he'd just run into. He spotted an side alley and dashed for it before another kid and his nemesis got him. Lanieu nearly grabbed onto his dirty, ratty shirt.

"Come on, Wimpy Linky!" shouted Lanieu tauntingly. "Don't run! Fight back!"

"Go away!" he shouted through tears over his shoulder.

Unfortunately, taking his eyes from where he was going was a mistake. He missed the baker carefully navigating the alley. The baker carried a tray piled high with steaming fresh bread. The resulting impact between terrified boy and Baker caused an explosion of bread. The adult stood up and scowled as he looked for the culprit.

First the angry looked at the crowd of kids. They were laughing and pointing. The Baker followed their fingers and found him still on the ground. The baker's scowl darkened.

"You again!" the Baker shouted. "This is the seventh tray of bread you've ruined!" The Baker took a step forward and raised his fist. The man's face went several shades of red before it turned purple. "You insufferable ingrate," the man bellowed, "I'm gonna take this outta your hide!"

He didn't want to wait for the Baker to make good on his claims and scrambled to get away. Unfortunately, his foot slipped on the bread scattered about the ground and he flew head first into the brick wall of the Bakery.

When he came around, the mid-day sun was replaced by a crimson and orange sky sprinkled with the first few stars of the night. When he tried to move his head, a chrysanthemum of pain blossomed at the base of his skull. Reflexively, he scrunched up into a small ball as the pain washed over him. After several minutes of the torture, he was finally able to withstand the nerve firings in his head to move onto his hands and knees.

The Baker, apparently, closed for the day. No doubt to head home to feed his family. The kids as well were gone, a fact which made him feel a whole lot better.

It took him what seemed like hours to limp home. When he reached the door to his back-end slums of Castle Town home, he nearly fell onto its dingy wooden surface in relief. The entire trip, every step sent waves of knife twisting pain up his spine into his head. Each wave made him dizzy and the world seemed to wobble as he walked.

As he reached out to grab the handle, the door groaned open and was replaced with his father. His father was still dressed in the robes all administrative staff at the castle wore. First a scowl passed over his father's face. Then a deeper scowl passed over his father's face.

"So you finally managed to drag your carcass back here, eh?" His father looked him over with a critical eye. Meanwhile, he tried really hard not to fall back down while looking back up at his father. The world began to spin and wobble faster as his father snorted loudly, turned around, and left the door open behind him. "He's fine," his father said on his way back into the house. "Don't bother with his dinner. He doesn't deserve it after pulling this stunt again."

He was about to protest when his mother appeared in the doorway. She hesitated before she brushed the ratty brown hair away from his dirt stained forehead wound. He tried to tell her that it was Lanieu's fault, that the other kids chased him all around town and wouldn't leave him alone no matter what. But she wouldn't have any of it.

"You need to learn how to get along with others," she said as she quickly pulled him into the house and slammed the door shut. She snatched up the last red potion as she passed the medicine cabinet in the hall. When they got to his bedroom, she pushed him onto his bed and tossed the red potion onto his pillow.

For a moment she looked at him sadly. He noticed it before. It always disappeared quickly, and did so this time as well, replaced with the hardened eyes she usually gazed at him with. She quickly disappeared when she pulled the door firmly shut. He heard the lock click.

Today was not out of the ordinary for him. In the beginning, he asked to be the _Hero_. He wanted to be included, to feel wanted. No one used to play with him at all. Usually they responded to his request with a forceful no. They wanted nothing to do with him and made it inexplicably clear.

That was how things worked until Lanieu moved to Castle Town. He came from a town that was on the border with the Gerudo Desert. He took an immediate interest in him and started picking on him. It started out small; calling him names, sneaking in smacks, and tripping him. Eventually, he got kids to join him in his antics and soon all the children who never wanted to play with him suddenly took joy in torturing him.

He was sure it was because of Lanieu that his life had become like this. He wanted to hate the other boy, to hurt him back, to do something to make Lanieu stop. But no matter how much he did, every time he came face to face with Lanieu his knees buckled, he lost his breath, and he couldn't think of anything but getting away. The rage and anger built up while alone seemed to be sucked out of him like the air leaving a balloon. It was horrible and he went through it six times a week.

As he drank the red potion, he daydreamed of being a real hero in an attempt to take his mind off of his growling stomach and the sickening taste of the potion. He envisioned himself on that first day of playing _Hero. _In his daydream, he actually stood up to Lanieu instead of crying in a corner as the elder boy loomed over him and called him names. He beat up Lanieu, all the other kids liked him, and the King proclaimed him a true Hero.

And so he fell asleep with his heart hammering from the immense pain, the immense void created in him, by an unfair life. His conscious mind left him the silent wish for something or someone to please help him; a wish to be something more and better than what he was; a wish to not be weak anymore. The tears of isolation evaporated from his reddened cheeks not long after.

* * *

**The Impure One: The Princess**

Zelda walked into the throne room, her head held high, her back straight, and her gait graceful; just as she'd been taught. Her father sat on the throne while he spoke to one of his advisers, her uncle, the Baron Barker. After them, other than the guards lining the walls of the expansive throne room, there wasn't anyone else present.

"Father, you summoned me?" she asked with a short bow to her father, the King. The King shooed his brother off to the side and looked toward his daughter.

"I did indeed," he said in his famous baritone voice. "Princess Zelda, how fare you in your studies of the arcane?"

Zelda closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She knew this meeting was bound to take place sooner or later. She thought about it during her entire trip to the throne room. Her father never called for her this late in the afternoon.

With no small amount of trepidation, she tentatively said, "I have nearly mastered the three basic spells that all magi must learn. I've also learned of the Royal Seal, the Royal Arrow of Light, and I'm confident in my abilities to master the ancient frost spell, FrostMreos."

"Good!" said the King. He smiled motioned for Zelda to approach. "What about _that_ spell?"

Zelda trembled, vividly remembering the incident at the Magic Academy. She clenched her fists to gather her courage. Zelda looked her father in the eye and shook her head.

The King nodded, astute enough to take notice of his daughter's reaction. She still hasn't gotten over it, even after seven years. But as long as she never dabbled in that again, she should be okay, or so the physician and Impa claimed.

"And what of your studies in Anthropology?" The King asked.

"I've studied the texts that you've given me, Father," she said. "Though I do not know how studying the cultures and philosophies of other nations is helpful in governing Hyrule."

"You'll see soon enough," said the King with a wink. "Well then, everything appears to be in order," the King announced. "As you are aware, you showed such a high proficiency in Magic when you were younger that it is a foregone conclusion that if you keep up your studies you'll be even more powerful than your mother." For a moment the King lost his focus. He turned his head and looked at the wall for a moment. When the moment past, he continued to study the wall. "I suppose it's time you were allowed access to those higher level spells that you've been wanting so badly," the King teased, "now that you've got the basics down."

Zelda nodded at her father and smiled hopefully. Finally. She'd been waiting to have access for those scrolls. Now if she could get out of here without having to demonstrate, then-

"But first we should see a demonstration," said the King.

Zelda kept her composure, but inside she was punching her hand bloody on a brick wall. Shaking herself of these apprehensive feelings, she took a few steps from her father as one of the guards brought a target and set it in the center of the throne room.

The King leaned forward as he watched his daughter calculate the distance, approximately forty yards. Baron Barker moved closer to the King and whispered something into his ear, the King nodded.

Zelda took a deep breath. Having estimated the distance, all she needed to do was get the amount of power required right. That was more of an intuitive judgment than a definite calculation. She centered the energies in her own body, stretched her right arm toward the target and her left arm behind her. Flames licked along her finger tips as she took up the stance that she'd taken hundreds of times in practice.

With a short step forward, she whipped her body around in a full circle. Her arms curved slightly as she went, whipping back into their original position and launching a ball of fire from her palm toward the target.

The ball of magical flames screamed through the air and impacted upon the wooden target with the force of a Goron Bomb Flower. When the smoke cleared, Zelda allowed herself a small smile of victory, having blown the top half of the dummy clear off. It lay fifty feet behind the dummy stand and was still smoking.

Zelda turned toward her father and bowed just as a loud and obnoxious clapping filled the room. Zelda frowned, removed the unladylike expression, and looked up at her father. Her father and uncle were both staring at her. No, not at her, behind her. She turned around and saw a tall man in ebony armor picking up the burned remains of the target dummy.

His face was hidden by the smoke but his red hair was unmistakably that of a Gerudo. Now Zelda did frown. The Gerudo were all women and this one was clearly a man.

"Excellent work, Princess," the man sneered as he casually tossed the smoking target behind him. Revealed was a pair of stone cold eyes set in a face formed from solid steel. His nostrils flared as he grinned wildly, wickedly. "I dare say you are perhaps the most powerful Princess to ever grace the Hylian Royal Family."

There stood the scourge of Hyrule. Her insides froze and she found herself unable to move. She wanted to run, to turn to her father for comfort, to do something. But her feet stayed where they were, unbridled terror becoming the glue that held her in place.

"Princess Zelda," Barker shouted as he ran forward. His great bulk seemed to swallow her up as he stood in front of her, his sword clenched in his gloved hands. "You'll not win the day this time Ganondorf!"

The King rose from his throne and moved quickly toward Zelda. Just as he reached her, Ganondorf ducked under Barker's first swing and punched him. The blow seemed to go through the armor and knocked the large man out cold. The King shook Zelda out of her trance.

"Run Zelda! Sound the alarm!" Zelda did as her father said and ran just as Ganondorf stepped up to the King and got into his face. In the back of her mind she wondered why the guards in the throne room weren't moving and how that man managed to get into the castle in the first place without raising any alarms.

As Zelda left the room, Baron Barker chuckled as he stood up. He motioned to the guards standing about the room and watched them leave. Then he turned back to his brother.

"So, it was you," the King said. "I didn't think you would be able to stoop this low, brother."

"Then you would be wrong," he chuckled. "I've got other priorities and a master to please. That tends to prioritize things a different way." He bent over and picked up his sword, the scraping of steel against stone echoing throughout the throne room.

"So this is how it ends?" asked the King. He snorted and straightened his back. Like the nobleman that he was, the king that he was, he would not die without his honor. "So be it."

"Why don't you fight back, eh?" asked Ganondorf. "I know you want to. I can sense it. You're like a cornered lion ready to strike. How… interesting that you choose not to do anything?" The King looked at Ganondorf and didn't answer. He merely sat back down on the throne and remained silent.

"Do you think me foolish enough to try and out power one who wields the Triforce? I may not have proficiency in magic but I'm not stupid. I will not run from dea-"

Barker screamed out his rage as he stabbed the King in the chest with his sword. He drove the blade through the King and into the throne, the impact creating a loud screech as metal grated on metal. Ganondorf smirked and walked pasted the throne, following the path that Zelda took. Barker leaned forward, grinning like an idiot, a victorious idiot.

"I should have been made King all those years ago," Barker whispered. "Now I'll have my revenge upon these lands for rejecting me."

"Brother, you fool," the King rasped. Blood dribbled down his chin and neck. A red blossom was quickly spreading across his robes around the stab wound. "You were not chosen to rule because you were reckless and power hungry. You would have dragged this country back into another war, driven our people to the depth of the Dark World in your search for power and glory."

Barker grinned as he watched the last light of life fade from his brother's eyes. "Heh, I guess that's going to happen anyway." Barker stood up and walked off, leaving the King's body pinned to the throne.

Zelda quickly traversed the halls of the castle. Her dress hiked up in her hands to allow her to run faster than would otherwise be possible. She could hear the feet of soldiers behind her and slowed. Relief nearly drained the adrenalin from her when she realized that these were the same soldiers from the throne room. They had to be under some kind of hypnotic spell.

Turning to run again, she slammed into a brick wall of a man. When let her eyes flow up from the man's chest, she found herself face to face with Ganondorf. He grinned down at her sternly, as if to say she should watch where she's going in the future.

"It looks like we just keep running into each other, eh Princess Zelda?" the tall Gerudo asked.

Zelda shook her head and back pedaled. Before she realized it, the guards from the throne room were all around her. Two of them helped her up and then two more held her arms and shoulders so she couldn't escape.

"Hold out your wrist," the evil man ordered. Zelda stubbornly refused to follow his wishes. Ganondorf nodded to the man holding her arm. The soldier grabbed her arm by the elbow and used his full body weight to force her arm up. Considering that he was a big, burly soldier and she a delicate princess, the battle of wills was over quickly.

Ganondorf approached her extended arm slowly, like a cat stalking its prey. His huge hand, huge enough to encompass her entire arm around the elbow, reached forth and grabbed her wrist. She could feel the rough texture of his palm rubbing raggedly against her softer and more delicate skin as he squeezed tightly.

For a split second, it felt as if her arm would snap right off. The light from the back of Ganondorf's hand, where the might of the Triforce of Power shone through, was blinding. She could smell the acrid scent of burning flesh, her flesh, though she didn't feel the amount of pain that she thought she ought to have.

When the light faded, Ganondorf let her wrist go and took a step back. Like the brand work of the Lon Lon Ranch, Zelda now sported a black and white emblem of some kind that pulsed with a soft, dull blue glow every time her heart beat. Right now it was beating regularly and quickly, reflecting the quickness of her racing heart. What did he do to her?

"It seems that the binding spell worked," the evil ruler said, turning disinterestedly away from the princess and the group of soldiers around her. "My work here is done for now. Throw her in the dungeon."

"What did you do to me?!" she demanded. She could already feel an icy coolness spreading from the brand mark. "What have you done to my father?! I demand answers!"

Ganondorf chuckled as the throne room guards dragged their princess away. Her indignant shouts for answers and release went unanswered and soon faded into silence. The Desert Bandit did not move from where he stood until the sounds of Barker's footsteps echoed in the hallway.

"What are the master's orders?" asked Barker as he strode up to Ganondorf. The tall desert man turned and started walking away without answering the shorter fat man. "Does that mean that the binding spell worked?"

Ganondorf stopped. Without turning he said, "I'm going to dispose of her and the Hero when he shows up. Make sure that he gets to the dungeon unimpeded by any soldiers or monsters."

"Yes, of course," said Barker, bowing.

"And another thing," said Ganondorf, "the master is pleased. He wishes for you to retrieve the Triforce of Wisdom for his arrival if possible. Otherwise proceed as planned."

"I will do as I can, Lord Ganondorf." Barker bowed deeply. Ganondorf snorted derisively and continued on his way.

* * *

**Seeing as this is the first chapter, I don't have any shout outs to give. I would like to thank everyone who supported the original. This rewrite was for you guys. Also, I'm not sure what the update schedule will be like, so I can't give a definitive answer as to when the next chapter will be out. I have it written, but I must still revise it. I humbly ask for your patience.**

**I.K.A. Valian**

Namco Bandai owns the Tales of series. Nintendo owns the Legend of Zelda series. I own the plot and any original characters you may happen upon in this original work.

* * *

Update 12/2/08: Changed some of the formatting, but not much else.

Update 12/15/08: Not changing anything, just letting all who read this know that TOS is Alternate Universe. Characters will be OOC.

Update 1/18/09: Redid Link's introduction so that it was less cumbersome. It should read faster and easier now.

Update 1/19/09: More revisions.


	2. II Chapter Two

Legend!

The Forgotten Hero and the Eternal Swordsman

By I.K.A. Valian

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Chapter Two: Interweaving Two Lands**_

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A Living Nightmare**

He tossed and turned frequently that night. His dreams, though at first all about heroes, fighting dragons, and saving damsels in distress, suddenly and violently shifted into high gear nightmares about being tortured and chased all around a nameless, endless city. Monstrous creatures with the heads of the other kids tried to grab him everywhere he went. When one of those monsters caught him and was about to devour him, he woke up.

It was after the sixth time that happened that he decided to stay awake. A few minutes later a rooster crowed , rudely alerting everyone in town that it was time to wake up. Morning light found its way to his feet through the small boarded up window in his room. He was happy in his room, where it was so peaceful and quite. Nothing like outside.

Outside... The time was quickly approaching when he would have to face Lanieu again. He dreaded leaving the house. He wished he could stay home and hide in his room forever. At least then he wouldn't have to deal with the inexplicable fear that gripped him every time he saw the big brute. But he knew that wouldn't work because every time he tried, his mother panicked and forced him out of the house. Not soon after that the other kids in town found him and started their games again, which always got ten times worse when Lanieu showed up some minutes later.

_Help me!_

Yeah, help, that's what he needed. But who could help him? Who _would_ help him? He'd already made a fair good deal of the population of Castle Town hate his guts, or Lanieu set him up as the fall guy. No. No one would willingly to help him.

_Please! Help me!_

He froze. There it was again. Did he just hear what he thought he did? A girl speaking in his head?! He'd heard of telepathy before, obviously, all Hylians knew what it was. A girl in his class during the winter school season claimed to be able to read people's minds, but no one ever paid attention to her. And here he was hearing voices. But who's?

_Please, I'm in ter…ble troub…._

Whoever it was, she sounded desperate. But why would she want him to help her. He couldn't even help himself, let alone someone in actual danger. What good would he be able to do?

_Please! He… me, I… tured an… …n the dungeon. My na… Pri…ess Zelda._

The Princess! What? How? He couldn't save her. Princess Zelda! He just couldn't. It was impossible. He should go find a guard and tell him what he was hearing. The moment that thought passed through his mind, reality slammed into him like a loaded horse-drawn dung cart.

The guards wouldn't believe him. He was just a kid. They'd be less likely to believe he was hearing the Princess through telepathy than if he told them an anvil was going to randomly fall on their heads. Now he felt a wave of uselessness wash over him, adding to the shivering fear he already felt. This was far from normal.

_I'm beg… I …an… I… … You… kill… m… …ing. I… …xt …lp._

Whatever she was saying was making less and less sense, more gibberish than a viable language. He wanted to help her, he really did. But just like when he was facing Lanieu, his courage seemed to be sucked right out of him.

_A… guards …he castle …ind contro… Ganondorf!_

Ganondorf! He couldn't stop him! No! There's no way he's going to face his death, even if it were to save the princess. The closest he would get to that… What was he thinking, he would never get close to that! Ganondorf?! No way!

_Help………_

His mind went blank for a full minute before a single thought fluttered into his mind. It was more of an emotion than a thought. Something he was well associated with. Pure terror. Her final plea was so heart wrenching, so desperate and frail that even he found himself moving from his safety bed toward the door with the intention of doing something.

Maybe he could save her…

Wait, what was he thinking?! Here he was, getting all worked up over a voice in his head. Princess or not, he must be going crazy. For a moment he nearly let that shield down, dared to believe, but it wasn't real. It couldn't be real. Things like this just didn't happen to him. Those legends about heroes and villains were just that, legends. There was probably only one thing true about them and it wasn't anything fantastic like a damsel in distress.

The door unlocked and his mother swung it open. By the look on her face, she was going to be shoving him out the door a little bit faster than normal today. She was shaking as she ushered him out the door. It always seemed like she was afraid of him. Before he ran down the street to find a place to hide, he took pause next to his door. He could swear he heard crying.

"Hey!" Link spun around, preparing to run as fast as he could only seconds after he was out the door. The girl who'd called to him shrank a little at his expression but he didn't really care if she was scared of him. He still remembered her kicking him the day before, it still sort of hurt too.

"What... do you want?" he asked cautiously.

"I… I just wanted to know why you don't fight back?" she asked. "Yesterday, I mean. When we were all chasing you."

For a moment, he just stared at her, wondering if this was some kind of a trap. She'd never cared about him before. She certainly didn't yesterday.

Finally he said, "I can't... I just can't." She watched him, genuine curiosity playing out behind her eyes. It was starting to freak him out so he said something else to fill the silence. "I try to fight back, but... Every time I see Lanieu... I just can't do anything."

_Help………_

He shuddered and closed his eyes as he had the same emotional response to the cry for help as in his room. When he opened them again, the girl was still staring at him, strangely now, confused by his behavior. Then her eyes widened and she turned away.

"I'm sorry," she said over her shoulder before she took off down the street. He watched her leave and slowly loosened his limbs from their tense position. Why did she apologize? Was she sorry about hurting him?

"Oh look who I found." He jumped as a large rough hand slammed down onto his shoulder. "If it isn't Link. I've been looking for you." He felt his legs do that thing where they freeze up and turn into Jell-O at the same time. "Guess what we're playing today, Wimpy Linky?" Lanieu asked as he leaned forward and stuck his head right next to his.

After swallowing several times to loosen his constricted throat, he whispered, "The hero game?"

"No..." Lanieu said, drawing the word out. The boy's tone making his skin crawl. "Today we're going to fight a dragon! A big, scary dragon that's living inside of a dark and smelly cave."

"A dragon?" he whimpered shrilly, a sense of dread settling over him. He suddenly felt sick as well, wishing he had a way of escaping Lanieu.

"Yep. And you're going to play the dragon while the rest of us play the Hero," Lanieu explained cheekily. "It's not quite fair that you get to play the hero all the time so we want to take a crack at it for once. We can't be any worse at it than you are." The older boy laughed loudly, joined in his deranged mirth by a gang of kids standing behind him.

Lanieu started walking, directing him with his powerful grip on his shoulder toward a hole in the wall. A hole that everyone who lived in the area knew was an entrance into the sewers. He could feel hot tears streaming down his face as dread filled him from his toes to the highest hair follicle on his head.

Lanieu stopped in front of the gaping hole. "Well, here we are," he said, shoving him forward. "You're right at home Wimpy Linky." Lanieu gestured at the surrounding sewage. "A dragon amongst his minions of rats, snakes, and royal poop."

He opened his lips, about to stutter out some kind of excuse about not wanting to play today or being too injured from yesterday. But the instant he locked eyes with the steely gaze of Lanieu and saw his balled up fist pounding into the other, he knew there was no way he was getting out of this, at least, not the same way he was forced in.

_Come… This wa…_

Her again?! How did she even know where he was anyway?

"Come on, everyone," Lanieu suddenly shouted to the group behind him. "Let's go get us a poopy dragon!"

"Yeah!"

Deciding that staying put wasn't an option, he legs quickly trudged into the sewers. He felt a subtle pull, as if he was being led by an invisible hand; of being drawn towards the source of the pull. He quickly forgot about that feeling when he heard the kids behind him shouting loudly.

The sewage system was hidden beneath the rich people's homes and the castle. It smelled as bad as they were filthy rich. Smelly liquid that might have been water at one point gurgled along to his left and a slimy wall passed by his right. It wasn't long before he came to two paths that split.

"Now what?" he asked miserably. He was really pathetic. To allow Lanieu to force him in here and now he was following a voice that wanted him to head deep into the sewers, and he wasn't even sure if the voice was even really there. Why couldn't he ever think of fighting back when he was in that terrifying presence.

_Hu-y………_

He started down the left path and slowed to a stop when he was swallowed by the darkness. He heard several scratching noises above the gurgling of the sewage and was sure that any second now the rats would drop down on top of him and start gnawing through his eyes to eat his brain. What was he doing? He couldn't save the princess! He shuddered and turned around, determined to head back and get beaten up. At least he wouldn't be eaten.

_STOP!_

He stopped at the junction where the paths split, holding his chest with his hand and waiting for his racing heart to calm down. There was a lantern hanging above his head. Slime dripped from its base onto the grimy floor, making a repetitive splat that a clock smith would envy.

When he turned around to look back into the darkness he felt the pull again. It was definitely coming from the darkened tunnel. He leaned over and looked down the other tunnel; it was completely lit with brightly shining lanterns, also covered in slime to one degree or another.

He much preferred that route and was about to head down there when he heard the clapping footfalls of the posse of kids coming up behind him.

_-s way…_

Why?! Why was he the one being tortured by voices? Now he had to choose between his daily beating and following a voice into darkness where there were many creepy crawlies ready to kill and eat him. Which one, which one!

_Please… …urry…_

"I don't want to do this!" he moaned. He grabbed the lantern above his head. Carefully, as it was covered with goo and likely to slip from his hands, he held the lantern in front of him and delved back into the darkness.

What was wrong with him? He knew that he could survive the beating, so why was he taking this chance? What could possibly drive him into a situation with rats and bugs as tall as his knees? He repeated these questions several times to himself, but it was useless asking. He already knew the answer. That tortured voice...

He stopped in front of another split in the tunnels and held the lantern as high as he dared to. The goo was slowly running down the underside of his arm and into his armpit, making his skin crawl. He nearly jumped out of his skin when a rat fell from its perch on the wall into the sewage running past his feet.

"How much longer is it," he asked his telepathic partner. He hoped she would tell him to head on home, this was all a bad joke, she had her kicks now, he was done.

_This way…_

He felt the pull taking him to the left again. He hopped over the gurgling stream, doing his best to stay away from a large rodent. It glared at him as he quickly moved into the new, smaller tunnel.

Several minutes later, he was surrounded by rats. Hundreds of creepy, crawly, ropey-tailed sewer rats squeaking this way and that. This tunnel didn't have a running stream going through it, but it did have a pool of sludge that he was going to have to wade through. He certainly wasn't going to sidle along thin path that hugged the wall where all the rats were.

Holding his nose and his breath, he held the lantern up high as he stepped into the dark brownish sludge. He didn't know how bad it smelled because by now his sense of smell was burned out by all the other things he'd smelled since entering this place. The stuff got into his shoes first, his pants, and finally the bottom part of his shirt. The feeling was a mixture between greasy goo and sticky slime, a feeling he strongly associated with Lanieu. If he thought only the older boy was capable of dealing out such a thing, he was now soundly proven wrong.

The sludge pool didn't take long to pass through and when he was safely on the other side he released a deep sigh of relief. The rats along the wall seemed to be thinning out as he continued deeper into the tunnel. Eventually, he could put the slime laden lantern down because the hall had its own lanterns lining the wall.

He shuddered as he felt the slime in his clothes and shoes slosh around. His stomach did a Zora line dance in response. Then his eyes bulged.

He bent over and excavated the meager breakfast that he'd eaten before he left home. On the up-side, he figured the sewer was the best place for that small mess to be. Very small.

A little bit farther down the tunnel he came to a large wooden door that was left slightly open. When he poked his head through, his eyes widened from the difference in atmosphere. He immediately wished his nose was clogged up again because now he could smell himself. His parents wouldn't like this. And the others would laugh at him and call him a smelly pile of horse dung.

…_above me. Find… way down._

A way down? Sure. So easy to find after mucking about in… stuff he didn't want to think about. Nevertheless, he started looking. Maybe he could find someplace with a guards uniforms so he could change clothes.

Where were the guards anyway? He grinned when he pictured a guard finding him and then keeling over from the smell. But that grin immediately flew from his face when he realized that the guard would then become angry at him and either hit him or throw him in jail… or kill him.

The sewer door opened up into a large room. On the far side was a stair case going up and next to it a door. The door, upon inspection, was found to be locked. When he turned around to check the rest of the room, he saw it, a set of stairs heading down.

As he descended, he heard a loud and deep laughter emanating from below. He slowed, his arms trembling as he halted and started backing up. As he stepped back his slime laden foot slipped. He fell onto his bottom and then the grease and grime he'd picked up in the sewer decided to send him on a ride, causing him to slide all the way down the curved staircase.

He tumbled into the room and slammed into something hard. His movement, abruptly halted, was transferred to the lone, drunk-off-his-ass soldier in the room. The man flew across the room and down another descending staircase. The soldier's armor clinked and clanged all the way until the whole thing ended in a distant, but very loud crash.

He decided to remain on the floor. His legs spread apart unconsciously. He could feel the muscles in his backside pulsing painfully. Thoughts of movement were the last thing on his mind as Zelda approached the bars of her cell.

She was impressed by his entrance, never having anticipated the big and burly soldier going down so easily. Down being the operative word. But now that she was getting a better look at her supposed savior, she was having second thoughts.

This boy was a mess! She could smell his stench from across the room. He looked like a Dodongo swallowed him and then spit him back up after it decided that he was too bitter. She looked down at her wrist, at the seal burned into her skin. It was a devious device indeed if it restricted her communication to the smelliest and youngest of her subjects.

"Hey!" she hollered. The boy stopped groaning on the floor long enough to glance up at her. For a moment her heart softened, he looked so very pathetic. "Would you find the key to this prison cell so I can get out of here?" she asked, quickly growing impatient with the pitiful look he was giving her. When he didn't move, she added "If you don't hurry Ganondorf will come back and kill us both."

That got him moving, and move he did. He jumped up, realizing the mess he was in now. He really should have stayed with the others and gotten beaten up. He internally bemoaned his current situation as he quickly searched high and low for a key.

When he found it on top of the table, he shouted in triumph and dashed toward her cell. It was, of course, the first place he should have looked and the last place he did. She had to give him credit where it was due; he was very quick on his feet. Unfortunately, his stench grew the closer he got. She covered her mouth and nose as he fiddled with the lock until it popped open several minutes later.

She was counting her blessings as she rushed from her cell and toward the upward slanted stairs when a golden barrier appeared in her way. She almost shouted out in frustration but instead settled with leaning against the barrier with both hands. So close.

"Now, now, Princess. Did you really think that I would let you both escape so easily?"

She slowly turned around and scrunched up her face in quite an unladylike fashion. "It was a trap all along then." The mongrel of a boy she summoned dashed behind her dress and remained crouched there, shivering violently. She would have to reprimand him later for getting her dress dirty and smelly.

Ganondorf stepped from the descending stair well on the other side of the room, projecting a commanding presence as he literally scraped the ceiling with his wild red hair. His eyes were lit up with a malice that could be mistaken for pure joy. The Gerudo man brought his right fist up in front of him, the image of the Triforce glowing brightly on the back of his hand.

Link suddenly felt a pain unlike anything he'd ever felt before burning from within his left hand. His legs jerked uncontrollably and launched him away from the protection he'd found behind the Princess. He landed hard on the stone dungeon floor with a sludgy splat. He would have cried out in fear or panic, but his mind was too focused on the burning triangle of pain searing from his hand. So horrendous was the pain that he was unable to see the Triforce symbol that illuminated his face like he was facing the morning sun.

"Behold," Ganondorf said mockingly, "when two or more pieces of the Triforce are brought near to each other, they resonate. This... smelly retch is your Hero, Princess Zelda."

She backpedaled into the barrier, subconsciously bringing her hand to her mouth to stifle the loud gasp she gave off. This pathetic boy was the holder of the Triforce of Courage?! How was that even possible?!

"And now," said Ganondorf, "I bid you both a joyous and long coming goodbye!"

The searing pain began to spread from his hand. It slowly grew up his arm as if he were dipping it in a vat of molten lead. It felt like his flesh was melting off, but when he managed to force his eyes open, he found that nothing was actually happening to his arm except for the glowing symbol on the back of his hand.

Wait, his hand was glowing? What symbol was that? What did it mean? Why was it on his hand?

Ganondorf held up his fist, the Golden power of the Triforce flowing through him as he cast the spell his master gave to him. As more and more energy was sucked up from the space around him into the growing sun-like ball of energy in his fist the other lights in the room seemed to grow in insignificance, the walls appeared to bend out of shape, the very air became like glue. When it felt as if the universe itself would rip apart if something else didn't give first, Ganondorf reared back and then rushed forward, driving his magic laden fist into the ground just in front of Link and Zelda.

The ball of golden light did not explode and did not extend toward the boy and the Princess to fry them into smoldering piles of ash. Rather, it imploded and sucked the Princess and the boy in to it, as well as a portion of the stone floor and wall they were standing on. Once the dust settled, it appeared as if a perfect sphere of space was suddenly removed from the room, the Princess and the boy gone with it.

The evil man felt a wide grin stretch his face. An unfamiliar feeling filled him and it took him almost a full minute to realize that he was experiencing happiness. After a moment's examination, he threw the emotion out, considering it a vile and toxic substance that should be stricken from anyone who felt it. A sense of vertigo filled his evil heart just as quickly as the happiness had with the realization that he'd won. His master had finally won. The hindrance to their plans was finally and forever more removed.

With that thought playing through his head, he walked confidently from the dungeons of Hyrule Castle. He sauntered from the castle itself toward the town a short distance away. And through the town he walked, indiscriminately backhanding civilians and soldiers into buildings as he went, enjoying their screams, and laughing at their helplessness.

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A Touch of Destiny in a Dying World**

His master wasn't the brightest of people, though he did make up for it by having a big heart. Still, his master proclaimed that he was a dog when in fact he was a highly intelligent, highly evolved, long lived creature. It didn't help matters that he could only speak like a dog at the moment. Perhaps some things are better left unsaid though. His master would likely be really embarrassed if he found out that he knew and understood every single thing he was saying.

"Hey Noishe," his master said as he stopped to stare at a display of colorfully exploding lights in the sky. "What do you think that is?"

He could only whine and bark in response, which he did, but he believed that his master got the message. He had no clue. After all, the only thing that he knew of that could create lights like that in the sky were Exsphere enhanced beings or students of Magic. But he didn't see any such being in proximity to them, and thank goodness too. He didn't feel like hightailing it out of there when they were surrounded by monsters already. He'd have to dodge and weave his way out onto the plains and that option really did not appeal to him at the moment.

It was precisely because of that reason that he was following his master through the Iselia woods. His master long ago learned to defend himself from monsters, and so he took advantage of that by letting him do all the hard work of clearing a safe path through the monsters. His master didn't appear to mind that much. In fact, it was his impression that his master secretly enjoyed the battles. Clearly something he inherited from his father, who was another can of nuts altogether.

"Oh well," his master said, "let's go Noishe. If I'm late for class again, Professor Sage said she'd force me to stay after school for catch up lessons."

He rolled his eyes and whined softly, knowing quite well his master's disdain for mental labor. He'd once had such an aversion, but it was a long time ago during another phase of his life. He eventually got over it and learned the benefit of knowledge and the wonders it produced. The Sage woman that his master mentioned seemed to understand the principle, but her execution of it was a bit off balance.

The trip along the pathway through the woods started up again, several times pausing so that his master could defeat a random wild animal that attacked, mostly rabbits. He knew their kind. Always looking so cute and cuddly until they suddenly ripped your face off in a furry flurry of furiousness.

His master stopped, as he often did, when the path they were on diverged. One headed toward the town of Iselia while the other led to the local Human Ranch. It smelled bad to his sensitive nose, but he was sure his master could not smell it. Human noses were not all that powerful.

"I wonder what those lights were," his master wondered aloud as he started down the path toward Iselia once more. "It couldn't have been magic, I've seen Genis and that traveling mage from a while back cast magic and it looked nothing like those lights. I'll have to ask Genis and the Professor about it when I get to-*bonk*"

He looked up quickly when he heard the dull thud and found his master rammed face first into the trunk of a tree. He quickly trotted toward his master and started licking the wound to head off any kind of infection. Honestly, this boy was more likely to get damaged than a well used archery target.

"N-Noishe! Stop that!" His charge continued to sputter and try to push him away, so he whined and continued to lick. "Stop Noishe, I'll be fine. You don't have to lick me anymore alright! Sheesh."

His master pushed himself onto his feet and brushed the dust from the red dwarven outfit that he wore. Though it did look rather odd on a human, it did its job well and protected him from many of the scrapes and wounds he otherwise would have acquired over the years. His master's foster father surely knew well the art of crafting to have created such an outfit, though the white ribbons were rather tacky in his opinion.

"Ouch, that hurt," his master said while holding his forehead. His master grimaced when he pulled his hand away and found it covered with his saliva. "Ah, Noishe, now I'm covered in your drool."

With an indignant whine, he sat down and swooshed his tail back and forth in the dusty path. It wasn't his fault that humans were so concerned about their cleanliness. Though, his master wasn't nearly as bad as some others he'd met.

While Lloyd rubbed his face with his sleeve to get as much of the slimy slobber off, he noticed something move in the woods. At first he thought it was a monster, moving through the woods in an attempt to capture food or something. Monsters often did that in this forest. But when he saw a flash of dirty hair and a pale face attached to the being, his curiosity got the better of him.

"Stay here Noishe," he told his dog, getting a belligerent woof in response. He knew of course that his big dog wouldn't leave the path because he was afraid of the monsters. Not the most dependable in a fight, but Noishe could run faster than the wind.

He unsheathed his twin swords as he approached the spot where he saw something moving. Just as he entered a clearing his foot caught on a root or something and sent him into a free fall. To save himself from being impaled on his blades he tossed the two wooden sabers away and landed heavily on the ground.

Reacting quickly incase it was a monster, he rolled over twice and quickly pushed himself up onto his knees, dragging one of the swords he dropped as he went, to end up on his knees with the blade against another boy's throat. The boy's skin was too pale and the whites of his eyes stood in contrast to the small dots of his irises as he stared wildly back at him. He was shaking as well, his body wiggling slightly every half second.

"Who are you," he asked. He lowered his sword, though he kept it between the two of them. There was no knowing if this kid was some kind of thief.

The younger boy swallowed and said, "M-my n-name is Link."

He could clearly see that this boy was no threat, so he sheathed his sword. The boy took this as an opportunity to escape and bolted into the forest before he could react. A part of him wanted to chase him, but he had to get into town before the Professor skinned him alive. But who was he? Why was he dressed so oddly? Where did he come from?

After collecting his other sword, he returned to Noishe on the path that led into town. He was going to consider it an easy trip through the forest that day, since he'd only run into monster five times when he heard shouts of pain and the sound of a monster attacking someone. Thinking that some innocent traveler might be in trouble, he rushed forward while in the back of his mind he wished Noishe would stop running away from monsters like he'd done just now.

He did not find a traveler, but instead found the boy, Link, from earlier. Link was literally hiding in the branches of a tree as three rabbits clawed at the base of its trunk, trying rabidly to climb up after the boy. The tree trunk already sported several gouges due to the beast's attempts to climb up.

He unsheathed his swords and ran in to engage the monsters. It wasn't long before they were all fading into the Ether, something he didn't quite understand, but the Professor said that it was something called the Mana Cycle where the Mana in the bodies of the defeated monsters is purified and released back into the air. Or something to that effect. He really didn't understand all that stuff.

When he was sure that there were no more monsters in the vicinity, he sheathed his swords and looked up the tree at Link. The boy clutched tightly to the branch he was on with his eyes screwed shut. He could understand being afraid of monsters, but they were just rabbit monsters. The way he ran he could have easily outpaced them. And it wasn't like they were scary looking. So why was he acting this way?

"Hey," he shouted, "the monsters are gone, you can come down now."

Link cracked open his eyes and peeked down at Lloyd. After a few seconds he asked, "Did you kill those monsters?"

"Yeah," Lloyd responded.

"Why?" Link said. "Why would you help me? Everyone else would have stood back and laughed at me."

Lloyd shrugged. "Why would I stand here and laugh at you? I don't think it's funny." Lloyd glanced down from Link at the tree again. "Are you going to stay up there all day?"

Link looked around the area. He wasn't sure if he could trust Lloyd, but he wasn't acting like the other kids. And there weren't any monsters left. He quickly dismounted the tree. He was prepared to run as soon as he landed in case Lloyd decided to change his mind. But that scenario never occurred.

"I'm Lloyd Irving, by the way," he was told once his feet touched ground. "Why did you think I'd laugh at you anyway?

"I…" Link slowly stood up straight. The younger boy looked torn between what he knew should be happening and what was happening. "I'm just not used to someone like you," Link said at last. "You're not like anyone else I know. You're… nice."

"Really," Lloyd asked. He seemed genuinely surprised. "I did what anyone else would do. What are you doing out here in the middle of the Iselia Forest anyway?"

Link paused as he contemplated how much to tell Lloyd. He was already much nicer than anyone he'd ever met in his entire life. He was strong, he was kind, and he was totally oblivious to how much he was shaking. Speaking of which, his body wasn't wobbling as much as it usually did.

But could he really tell him where he came from? Or how he got here? He guessed that he was taking too long to decide what to say because Lloyd started looking off into the distance, not really paying attention to anything.

"I don't think I can explain it," he said finally. In truth, he had no clue how he went from lying in pain on a hard stone floor inside the Hyrule Castle Dungeon to lying in the relative luxury of a flower bed. He knew it had something to do with Ganondorf and Zelda. They were talking to each other when he appeared here.

Maybe she knew how to get back. They were right next to each other when they arrived, so she shouldn't be too far away. Maybe there was hope of returning home… But what home would he have to return to. If Ganondorf was there then Castle Town was probably destroyed by now and so there wasn't anything to go back to.

"It's okay," said Lloyd. He felt a calm hand touch his shoulder. He found the gesture alarming and calming at the same time. No, Lloyd was definitely not like anyone he'd ever met. "I'm not sure I'd understand what you'd have to say anyway." He looked into Lloyd's face and found a warm, friendly grin. It was at that moment that he realized that he was not shaking anymore. He wasn't afraid anymore. He grinned himself, though perhaps he let too much of his euphoria into the gesture.

Lloyd was looking at him strangely, he realized. "Like I was saying," the elder boy said, "It's okay if you don't want to talk about it. Either way, you should come with me to Iselia. It's not far from here and you'll be safe from monsters there. So… what do you say? Will you come?"

"Okay," he said. Lloyd's face lit up, as if he'd been given a surprise birthday cake. Excited now, he grabbed Link's hand and, over the younger boy's surprised shout, dragged him from the forest at a break neck speed. The two sped off into the distance, Link's frantic cry floating on the wind.

Noishe perked his ears as he watched the two of them go, wondering what his master was up to when he heard the new boy cry for his master to slow down. He was about to follow them when he caught the scent he thought he'd never smell again on the wind. It was faint, a few days old. He'd been here for a while now, waiting and moving about. He decided to find the man he smelled, it'd been far too long since they'd talked.

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**This chapter took so long to post simply because it took so long to finish Chapter Four. Over two months. It's not a regular habit of mine to take so long, but apparently I had that common writers ailment called lack of motivation. I think I'm getting better though, because I revised and edited this chapter in one day. Still... Chapter Four is 20 pages long. Anyway, now that the winter break is coming up, I hope to have more time to devote to writing, after finals of course. Thanks for reading and to all you who reviewed way back in October, thank you to you too!**

**I.K.A. Valian**

Namco Bandai owns the Tales of series. Nintendo owns the Legend of Zelda series. I own the plot and any original characters you may happen upon in this original work.

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Update 12/2/08: Changed some formatting.

Update 12/15/08: Not changing anything, just letting all who read this know that TOS is Alternate Universe. Characters will be OOC.

Update 1/19/09: Revised the whole chapter.


	3. III Chapter Three

Legend!

The Forgotten Hero and the Eternal Swordsman

By I.K.A. Valian

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Chapter Three: The Rage Within

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**_**New Faces**

He shook his left arm wildly about as a dog might to a meaty bone. He hadn't been able to feel anything but pressure with his left arm since the dungeon. Sensation slowly came back in his shoulder; he found it was exactly at his neck where he started feeling again by pinching himself. Lloyd looked at him strangely when he did this, asking with the resizing of his brown irises what he was pinching himself for.

"My arm is numb," he explained quietly. Lloyd slowed his pace, falling back from his position slightly in front of him on the path just outside of a large village. It had only taken several minutes to get to the gate from the edge of the forest. The gate was a simple wooden arch with a big door swung open. The door was basically a bunch of logs tied together with nails, which had left streaks of rust running down the wooden surface as if it were crying deep red-brown tears.

"You might have hurt yourself when you were running around in the forest," Lloyd said knowledgeably. "The Professor knows some healing magic. I'm sure she'd be willing to help."

"I-if you say so, Lloyd." He locked his gaze onto the rocks that strayed into his range of vision as they walked. He didn't have much luck with healers. Every healer he'd ever met in Castle Town said he was the most injury prone person they'd ever met. Each refused to see him after a week of healing injuries ranging from a broken arm to a full body healing spell.

"Lloyd!" Lloyd stopped and he scooted behind his taller companion, hiding from the analyzing gaze of the two men standing guard at the front gate. One was leaning against a pitch fork and the other had his hands on his hips. He didn't like the way they looked at him. It was the same way that the other children in Castle Town look at him.

"What is it?" Lloyd asked.

The man leaning on his pitch fork shifted his gaze from him to address Lloyd. "Professor Sage has been looking for you. She said when you show up to come directly to the school house." The guard paused to grin knowingly at Lloyd. "Did you sleep in again?"

"He-"

"Yeah," Lloyd said, laughing sheepishly.

Lloyd had just cut him off. Why was Lloyd lying? He was about to tell the guards it was his fault. He frowned in his confusion. What was Lloyd up to?

Lloyd pulled on his sleeve, holding the red cloth out. "Noishe didn't help either. He ran all over the yard with my clothes in his mouth. So I had to clean them before I could wear them again."

"Oh," said the man closest to them. He shifted his stance, leaning back on his heels a little. "Who's your friend?"

His friend? There was no way. They'd only just met. Sure, Lloyd saved him from some monsters, but he couldn't-

"This here is my friend Link," said Lloyd. The elder boy took a step back and slung a brotherly arm over his shoulder. He froze, not knowing how to react to the gesture. Did Lloyd really mean it? Could he really want to be friends with someone like him? After all he put Lloyd through?

"Right," said the man with the pitchfork. "I suppose we've kept you two for long enough. Get going, off to school with you two."

"On our way," said Lloyd, taking off into the village at a sprint. He yelped slightly as the older boy pulled him along.

He scrambled to keep up as Lloyd pulled him down a dirt path. Several people milled about the area, going about their business. There were vines hanging off of the roofs and barrels of fruit stacked along the walls of the homes they passed. The fences surrounding each residence seemed to invite him in as much as they forced him to stay outside.

Lloyd slowed down as the pathway widened out. Eventually, Lloyd came to a stop in the middle of a wide open space. It was easy to see why. A great beam of white light was being shot into the sky.

"W-What is that?" he stammered. The event was both mesmerizing and terrifying. What could cause a great beam of light to shoot out like that?

"I think that's that one thing that has to do with Colette," Lloyd said. "I'm not sure though. Let's go ask the Professor!"

Lloyd started walking toward a building on the other side of the clearing when its door opened and two people walked out. One was dressed in a black dress like outfit. It stood in stark contrast to the girl's blond hair, pale skin, and the warm wooden background that the school building provided. Her creased brow and pursed lips made her look like she'd just eaten a bunch of lemons. Something about her looked familiar though, but he couldn't figure out what it was. He put that thought aside as they approached.

"Lloyd! There you are!" the other person shouted. The silver haired boy looked like around his age. The black undergarments the boy wore under his blue clothes stuck out from his sleeves and shorts. The white trim that was embroidered onto the blue material curved here and there to make fanciful symbols.

"Did you see it Lloyd?" the silver haired boy asked, extending his arm behind him to point at the pillar of light. "It's the Oracle!"

"Yes, Genis," Lloyd said, "It's kind of hard to miss."

He stopped just short of the small group reunion. The curious look he received from the blond girl didn't make him feel particularly welcome anyway. After a few minutes, Lloyd and Genis were having an animated conversation about the Oracle. The girl though... looked bored.

He was happy that she wasn't looking at him. The way she was staring at nothing creeped him out enough as it was. Unfortunately, she quickly spotted him standing alone in the middle of the clearing. He suddenly felt very isolated and small. He felt the urge to run away and find someplace to hide well up inside of him.

"Who's that, Lloyd?" the girl asked. She sounded calm, quite a contradiction with the way she looked. That didn't lessen his urge to run though.

"Oh!" Lloyd moved back to his side and grabbed him by the shoulders. "This is Link. I found him in the woods on the way to town. Link, meet my best friends Genis Sage and Colette Brunel."

He could feel his knees shaking as he stayed put. He literally felt like the world was getting larger. Or worse yet, he was getting smaller. Genis and Colette seemed to loom over him.

"Nice to meet you Link. I'm Genis ," Genis said with a smile as he and Colette moved closer. He shrank down, closer to the ground. He wasn't sure what to expect of these two. Would they be like Lloyd? Or were they like everyone else?

"What's wrong?" Colette asked. "Why are you so scared?"

"I... I don't know if I can trust you," he said. He glanced back and forth between Genis and Colette.

"You can trust us," said Genis. "Any friend of Lloyd's is a friend of mine!" Genis gave him a thumbs up and grinned. Colette smirked and nodded in agreement.

"I..." He could feel his throat tightening. He felt something powerful pulling at his heart. It wasn't fear, but his legs were still shaking. And he still felt like running, but it wasn't because he was afraid of Genis or Colette anymore.

"Welcome to the group, Link," said Lloyd. He smiled. He wasn't afraid again. He felt something wet fall onto his cheeks.

"Why are you crying?" asked Colette. "Did we say something to upset you?"

"No," he said, shaking his head. He quickly wiped the tears away. "No, I'm not sad."

"Well, now that introductions are over," said Lloyd, "let's go see if the Professor can heal your arm."

"Lloyd, Raine left a while ago," said Genis.

"What do you mean?" Lloyd asked. "Professor Sage told the guards that she was waiting for me in the school."

He couldn't shake the feeling that Colette was somehow familiar. The way her hair tumbled over her shoulders and the crystal blue color of her eyes continued to fill him with a sense of déjà vu. The more he looked at her, the more he felt like he was forgetting something.

"When the Oracle came, she told everyone to stay in the schoolroom," Genis explained. "Then she left and went to the Martel Temple."

"Colette!"

The girl turned toward a man who jogged up to them. He immediately felt the urge to run away again, to avoid being told off by another angry adult. But he resisted that since the man didn't look angry at all. Actually he appeared relieved. The man stopped next to Colette and pulled her into a hug, something that he, and from the look of it, Colette had not expected.

"Thank goodness you're alright," the man said.

"Father, what's going on?" Colette asked, puzzlement knotting her brow as she pried herself from his grip.

"The guards saw a group of Desians heading toward the Martel Temple," her father explained. "They thought they saw one of them carrying you. But if you're still here then they must have been mistaken."

"Desians!" shouted Lloyd. "Why would they come through here?"

"Yeah," said Genis. "Doesn't Iselia have a peace treaty with the Desians?"

"It would appear that they've broken the treaty," said Colette's father. "I fear for your grandmother, Colette. She's at the temple right now, preparing for your ceremony."

"And Raine's up there too," moaned Genis.

He didn't know what to make of this. What were Desians? Who were they carrying? What was this ceremony? What was the Oracle? And why did Colette look so much like Zelda? Wait... Zelda! That's who she looked like. It was right in front of him the whole time.

He mentally smacked himself. After another glance at Colette's features, he was sure. It was uncanny. The only difference between the two was Colette's Gerudo ears.

"We've got to go to the Temple," said Lloyd. "We have to stop the Desians!"

"Yeah," agreed Colette, "I've got to save Grandmother before they do anything to her."

"And I'm worried about Sis, so I'm going too," added Genis.

Colette's father looked torn, unable to decide what to do. After a few seconds of silence, he nodded reluctantly, agreeing to let them go. "Just be careful, okay?" Colette nodded and her father turned and left.

"We should probably save that girl that looked like Colette too," said Lloyd. "No telling what those Desians will do to her."

Colette pulled a knife from a hidden pocket in her black dress and spun it around in her palm. "I'm ready," she said. The three friends nodded and started toward the path that went past the school house. Link stayed where he was, too occupied by thoughts of how blind he'd been.

He quickly came back to the present when the situation dawned on him fully. The girl that looked like Colette, the one that these Desians captured, had to be Princess Zelda. Why didn't he see it before?

"Oh no!" he said aloud before he even realized what he'd done. Both his hands shot toward and covered his mouth. But the damage was done. The three stopped walking and turned their attention to him.

"What is it, Link?" asked Genis.

He hesitated at first. He didn't want to get involved in another situation that could wind up getting him killed. But expectant looks from the other three gave him the willies.

"I think that girl is…" he swallowed, finding his throat suddenly dry. "That girl is… someone I know," he finished, his voice growing softer as he spoke.

"Really?" asked Lloyd. Apparently he had good hearing. "Then you've gotta come too. We'll rescue her together and show those Desian's a thing or two about kidnapping people!"

"Let's go!" Colette said impatiently. "The Desians have a head start on us. We need to hurry if we're going to catch up to them."

"Well Link?" Lloyd asked. He looked back and forth between Lloyd, Genis, and Colette. It looked like he was caught up in another adventure. Internally bemoaning his situation, he nodded silently. Off he went again to save the princess from certain doom.

* * *

**The Mercenary: One with a Stained Past**

The rhythmic pounding in his ears aligned perfectly with his feet as he repetitively slammed them onto the ground in a vain attempt to outlast the rabid, mouth-foaming wolf right behind him. He knew this was a bad idea. He cried out pitifully as he was chased across the grassy land by the monster.

He tripped and fell to the ground just as the animal leaped for a killing blow. He was lucky enough to see the beast sail right past him. Still, his instincts told him he should keep moving. He quickly got back onto his feet and took off. He left his spot just in time to avoid being pecked at by a hawk. He preferred the kids in Castle Town to this. At least they weren't going to eat him when they were done beating the crap out of him. He missed seeing Lloyd run up from the side, instead concentrating on out running the wolf again.

"Link! Duck!"

He didn't have to think about what Lloyd was yelling about because tripped again. Just as good because three fireballs lanced by above him and burned three large holes in the wolf. Before the dying monster had a chance to run off and heal its wounds, Lloyd leaped into the air and stabbed the creature with his right hands sword, withdrew the blade, and spun around to deliver a final slash with the sword in his left hand.

He didn't know if it was dead. Didn't care. All he knew and cared about was that he was going to die if he stayed in this strange place. Lanieu was a easy breeze compared to the maelstrom he was embroiled in now. He wanted to go back to the relative safety of the village, at least he didn't have to worry about getting eaten there.

Genis ran next to Lloyd and the two examined their dirty work. Colette, on the other hand, approached him and bent over his prone body.

"You okay?" she asked. Before he could respond, Colette reached out a hand. He looked at it, unsure what she wanted him to do with it. With an exasperated grunt, she grabbed his hand and hauled him back onto his feet. "Try and stay behind us when we get into battles, okay?"

"Hey look," said Genis. He let go of Colette's hand and dusted himself off. Then he followed Genis' outstretched arm to see what he was pointing at. It was a bunch of stone rubble scattered across the ground in the distance.

"Is that the Martel Temple?" Lloyd asked.

Colette peered into the mid-day horizon. With a nod, she said, "Yes, we're almost there now."

"Alright," said Lloyd. He excitedly punched above his head into the air. "Let's go!"

"Lloyd," panned Genis, "you were excited when we left the village and then you got bored ten minutes later."

True to Genis' description, Lloyd had gotten bored already once. Now he was excited again? How did he turn it off and on so quickly?

"Eh... It wasn't exciting before. But then we had that battle and now we're almost there," Lloyd explained. He didn't know why, but the fact that Lloyd was even remotely excited pulled his spirits back up. He knew that he shouldn't let that happen. It was more than likely that he would be involved in another battle all too soon.

"Let's hurry up," said Colette. She pulled a knife from inside her dress again and twirled it around her pointer finger. "Those Desians still have Link's friend and they could have hurt Grandmother by now."

Colette took off running at a decent pace toward the ruins in the distance. Genis quickly followed on her heels. He looked at Lloyd before he took off running as well. He didn't want to be left behind or left alone. No telling what monsters were out there waiting to pounce. Lloyd, he noticed, had his fist clenched. He was about to stop and ask Lloyd what was wrong, but Lloyd shook his head and started running himself.

It didn't take long for them to arrive at the Temple. They stopped at the bottom of the great hill it was built atop to look up and admire the sight of the Oracle beam emanating from the top dome. Half of it was built into the wall of the cliff and the other half was lying in pieces around them. The only way up to the entrance was a series of stone steps that were so weather worn and slick with green moss that it was easy to notice the scrapes and boot marks of the people who passed before. There were a slew of recent marks made.

"It looks' like we're not too late," Lloyd observed heatedly.

"I can hear the sounds of battle from above," said Genis. "I hope we got here in time!"

"I'll make them pay," muttered Colette. She twirled her knife around once and gripped it tightly as she ran forward and started ascending the stairs. Half way up, she slipped and fell down.

"Colette!"

He followed the others up the stairs. He ended up slowing down to keep from slipping himself. When he finally got there Colette was back on her feet and already ascending the stairs again. She stopped though, getting curious looks from Lloyd and Genis.

"Link," she said. He looked up at her. "Try to stay safe this time, okay?"

Without waiting for a response, Colette continued up the stairs. He honestly didn't want to be here. He'd rather not get in the way at all so he was really fine with what she had to say. Maybe she thought he'd try and fight too.

"Link…" He looked curiously at Genis, who hadn't moved from his position. "Try not to let Colette get to you. She's always been bitter since her mom died at the hands of the Desians a few years ago. She used to be much more open and happy all the time." Genis looked down at his feet. "Sis says that Colette's still dealing with the loss."

"I… I see," he said. He mentally smacked himself again. That was the best he could come up with to answer that kind of information. He clenched his fists at his side and wished he wasn't such a loser. Once more the numbness, something he'd gotten used to without realizing, began to lift and tingle on his left hand. But as soon as he looked down, the movement stopped.

"You coming, Link?" Lloyd shouted from farther above. Genis started up the stairs again and was about half way between him and Lloyd. He didn't have long to decide when he suddenly heard a growling from behind him. A growling and a deep barking. He shivered and jaggedly managed to turn around. Behind him was another wolf monster. But to his horror, this one was much larger, much faster, much scarier, and had much bigger teeth. He failed to notice the intelligent and competent look in the green and white wolf-dog's eyes, a look that the Noishe often tried to project.

None of that registered to him as he turned and ran as hard and fast as he could to get up the stairs. He blew past Genis, then Lloyd, and finally Colette. Since Colette just reached the top, his momentum carried him off the ground and into the air.

He remained airborne long enough for him to realize that he was no longer on the ground. Then he fell with a rather inglorious thud and rolled and tumbled across the dirty and gravely earth into someone's legs. He only managed to see the flapping tails of a purple cape before one of the feet his body landed against spun around and launched him quite forcefully back into the air.

By the time he found out who kicked him, Lloyd and the others were all assembled at the top of the stairs. Apparently the others were just as curious about this person because they stared with wide eyed curiosity. The man was tall, very tall. The only one he'd ever seen so tall was possibly Ganondorf. This man was definitely not as muscular as Ganondorf. And his skin was white, not green. He wore a purple cape which was split into halves. That created the two tails he saw. The man's pants and shirt were purple, the two belts around his waist and each of his ankles as well as his gloves were lavender, and his boots were, just like everything else on the man, purple.

Normally he wouldn't have associated the color with anything menacing at all. In fact, purple always invoked the image of Lon Lon flowers in his mind. Somehow though, the man before him made the dark color sharp and dangerous enough to kill.

The man in purple wasn't the only one at the top of the hill. He was holding his naked blade his right hand and a shield in the other, like a knight. But he stared intently at the three guys standing in front of the entrance to the temple.

One of the men, a shorter man than the purple knight but with clothes just as striking and a hair style all his own, was standing in front of two others. He held a knife in one hand to the throat of an old woman. Behind him was a very large man with a giant ax and a mace strapped to his back. The man next to him was clothed in some kind of soldier outfit. The short man had a sword strapped to his back. It seemed everyone here was armed to the teeth.

"Who are the kids?" the man with the strange hairdo asked.

"No more chit chat," said the purple knight, "hand over the Chosen and I may grant you a swift death."

"Not likely," said the man with the do. "You two, retreat into the temple, find a place to kill the Chosen. When you find it, do so. I'll hold him off as long as I can."

"Yes sir," the two men said. Like a phantom, their forms dissipated into the darkness behind the lead man.

"Let Grandmother go you... damn Desian!" Colette shouted suddenly, almost desperately. She rushed forward, Lloyd and Genis right behind her. He watched the purple knight extend his shield wielding arm and stop the three just behind him.

"So… you're the Chosen then?" the purple knight asked, glancing to his left without taking his full gaze from the man holding the old woman hostage. Colette looked into the knight's face, her expression serious, and nodded.

"What?! Are you telling me that woman we captured isn't the chosen?!"

"That's right!" responded Lloyd. He puffed his chest out held his head high. "And we won't let you Desians get away with killing any more innocent people."

"Heh," the man holding the old woman hostage lowered his knife. The old woman immediately reached up and grasped her neck, breathing like she'd been holding her breath. "You win this time," the man said. "I never expected you to actually show up anyway."

"You're giving up?" the purple knight asked.

"For now," said the man. He watched the man reach into his strange outfit and set off a beeping noise. The mysterious man then disappeared; he simply vanished.

"Oh, Chosen, I'm so happy that you're alright!" Colette ran up to the old woman and hugged her. He stood up and edged behind Lloyd and Genis. The more new people that showed up, the more nervous he got. At least they weren't paying attention to him. For some reason he wasn't as nervous as he would normally be.

"We've got to save Link's friend!" Lloyd said suddenly. "She's the one that the Desians thought was the Chosen!"

"Who is Link?" asked the purple knight. Lloyd crossed his arms and looked the man three and a half head taller than he was in the eye.

"Give us your name and we'll give you ours," Lloyd said. He wished Lloyd would wise up. The way Lloyd said that was just asking for the man to lop his head off with his pinky. And the purple knight seemed perfectly capable of doing that.

Instead though, the purple knight chuckled. "Do you have time to argue about names? They've probably already killed the poor girl."

"Lloyd," he said. His voice caused the older boy to look back at him. "It's… fine. I-I'm... My name is Link."

The purple knight eyed him from his feet to the top most dirty blond hair on his head. He felt like a slab of meat being inspected by a butcher. He decided to lock his gaze on his feet and not look at the man.

"I see," the purple knight said. The man looked back at Lloyd and arched his left eyebrow. "And… you're name is Lloyd?"

"Yes," Lloyd said. He hoped that Lloyd had given up on trying to one up this man, superior in skill and lethality. His hopes were denied when Lloyd said, "But who are you to ask for my name?"

"Grandmother, I'm going to receive the oracle." Everyone present shifted their attention onto Colette. She stood in front of the darkened entrance to the temple gazing up at the light shooting forth from it dome above. "Also, we have to save Link's friend."

"Oh, that's right!" Colette's grandmother said. "The Chosen is supposed to receive the Oracle. But the priests that were to accompany her have fallen at the hands of the Desians. Their bodies have already been taken by the Goddess Martel when you appeared," she looked at and nodded toward the purple knight. "At first I thought they were going to kill the Chosen in front of me. Then I realized that she wasn't the Chosen at all."

"I'll go and protect Colette from the Desians then," said Lloyd, stepping forward. "In place of the priests, she'll have me, Genis, and Link!"

What?! No, no, no! He can't go! He can't protect anyone let alone himself!

He vehemently, and pointlessly, shook his head as Lloyd ran over and dragged him into the center of the clearing. He was to happily going to let them go in and save the princess all on their own. They were far more capable than he ever would be.

"You've got to be kidding," said Genis, aghast. "We can't do this!" He felt slightly relieved to know that Genis had a head on his shoulders.

"You three?" Colette's grandmother shifted to gaze at the three of them. "I wouldn't feel comfortable if were just you."

Yes! That made two!

"Then I will go," said the purple knight. "I am Kratos, a mercenary by trade. If you are willing to pay, I will take on the job of protecting the Chosen."

"Come on," Colette said. She twirled her knife around a couple times. "We have to catch up to the Desians."

With that, Colette walked into the darkened interior. Her grandmother nodded at Kratos and he followed Colette.

"Let's go!" said Lloyd. He and Genis mumbled something incoherent. At least he knew he wasn't the only one that didn't want to go in here.

He really didn't like the look of the place. For one thing there was this eerie feeling he kept getting when he looked at the light. His numb hand tingled uncomfortably at his side the longer he stared at it.

* * *

**Seeing Red**

The inside of the temple wasn't spacious in any major way. In fact, it could have been developed specifically to keep claustrophobic people away. Good thing it had no effect on him. Small spaces were probably the only areas that he preferred to be. Small spaces were good to hide in. He was definitely more comfortable in here than outside.

It really was amazing to him that all these rocks were carved by people. He remembered trying to dig his own hide out into the ground. It ended up collapsing because the kids found out about it and filled it with rocks and sticks. It took him four months to dig a four foot hole and here he was standing in an entire building made of stone. Clearly, someone had a lot of time on their hands.

His wonderment ended when a Ghoul dropped onto the floor noisily directly behind him. Before the monster could so much as growl, Kratos suddenly appeared without a whisper of a sound and sliced the undead monster in twain. Kratos looked at him for a moment before moving off. He wasn't sure what he was more afraid of, the undead monster or Kratos. He flinched when the mercenary sheathed his sword with a loud clink.

"Do not dally too far behind," the older man darkly said over his shoulder.

Kratos walked back toward the front of the group and took the lead position from Lloyd. The younger swordsman stopped and looked back to make sure he was okay. He wasn't, but someone gave him a soft push to start him moving again. He thought it was Colette, but Genis was behind him too.

They marched through the torch lit stone halls for over ten minutes. Wherever the henchmen of that Desian leader guy went, it was really deep inside. He was beginning to feel like the shadows were trying to creep up on him. Every time he glanced at them, his breath caught in his throat.

"Hey, you okay Link?" He looked apprehensively at Lloyd. The elder boy slowed and was now walking next to him. Concern and something unquantifiable was etched onto his face. It made him feel a little better, but not much.

"I suppose…" he said quietly.

"Good," Lloyd said with a grin. "Don't worry about fighting, just stay clear and leave the fighting to us."

"Alright," he replied with a nod.

"Quite," Kratos whispered tersely. "We're here." He stopped just before going around a corner and held out his hand behind him. The mercenary peeked around the corner for less than a second and then retreated. "There are the two from the entrance and the girl that they've kidnapped. You three and the Chosen stay here while I take care of-"

"We're going," Colette said firmly. "I can't stand idly by when I know that I can do something to help."

"Yeah," said Lloyd. "We're going to help Link's friend. And besides, that big guy looked really tough. You'll probably need help"

Kratos paused, his comeback caught in his throat. Finally, the mercenary replied, "As you wish. Follow me and stay quiet."

He leaned against the wall as the others passed him. He had no fighting ability and had no intention of trying to either. He was positive that Kratos would finish this in no time. All he had to do was give them a look and the two Desians would just die of fright.

The first clangs of steel marked the beginning of the battle. He sat down and leaned back against the wall, waiting for it to be finished. But it dragged on, and on. The clangs and shouts were beginning to pique his interest. What was happening? What did a battle look like? Why was it taking so long?

With these questions in the back of his mind, he peeked around the corner of the wall and took in the battle scene. The room was a natural open cavern. It seemed that the people who built this place chose a natural cave to build it in.

The fight was taking place on a large ledge next to a deep pit. Lloyd was fighting with the smaller Desian alongside Colette. Genis was in the back, sending fire balls every now and then. Kratos was fighting the big Desian by himself.

Strangely enough, Kratos was actually having a harder time than he should have been. He expected fire to shoot from the mercenary's eyes and burn the big man to a crisp. Both of the Desians for that matter.

Behind everyone, against the wall, was a gagged and bound Princess Zelda. She was jutting her shoulders forward every now and then as her eyes followed Kratos. She… was rooting him on, he realized.

When the sudden event happened, he had to blink a few times to realize what took place. The big oaf of a Desian managed to push Kratos back long enough for him to take a swipe at Colette. Colette took the hit and flew over the edge and into the pit.

Kratos reacted instantly and jumped straight over Lloyd and the Desian he was fighting. He caught Colette just as they disappeared over the side.

Lloyd turned his attention away from the Desian he was fighting and promptly was kicked in the gut. Lloyd flew a few feet backwards onto his back. His swords went flying from his grasp. One of the blades flew down the hallway in his direction and came to a stop next to his tingling left arm.

On instinct his arm reached out for the blade. He meant to push the wooden sword away. Instead his palm closed around the hilt, which fit his hand like a glove. His fingers grasped the wood like it was the last thing he'd ever hold and squeezed tightly.

He stared at his left arm in horror as he found himself unable to let go of the wooden sword. He shook his arm wildly about, trying to dislodge the wooden instrument of death. But his hand acted like it had a mind of its own. With a fierce determination to be free and clear of the dreaded weapon in his hand, he smashed his left hand into the wall.

Instead of his hand letting go, the numbness in his hand began spreading. A pain grew in the pit of his stomach, quickly erupting into a volcanic explosion of nausea. He closed his eyes to keep the world from spinning. He fell over, unconscious, right as the Triforce of Courage began to give off light.

* * *

**The Great Fall**

Zelda's hopes of rescue failed her when the swordsman in purple and the young girl fell over the ledge. The two men who held her captive then made short work of a boy in a red outfit. The only one left after that was a lone young magician, who upon noticing that he was the only one left fighting quickly made a dash for the exit.

The smaller of her captors quickly caught the young boy and lifted him into the air. She watched the boy wiggle about, shouting, and trying to break free. But it was useless since the man holding him was obviously way stronger.

"Look, I caught a runt Vidar," said the man. He raised the mage into the air to emphasis his point. While he was dangling in the air, she was able to get a better look at him. For one thing, the boy was much younger looking than she thought, and he had the most unusual silver hair.

She looked from the boy to Vidar as the big, muscular man stomped up to her. Before she could even squeak in protest, the towering man reached down and grabbed her by the neck with one of his meaty fists. Both she and the silver haired boy were taken to the ledge by their captors.

"I think mine will hit bottom first," said Vidar. He shook her roughly and extended his arm to hold her over the black pit. She didn't have to look to know there wasn't anything beneath her dangling feet. Her own weight began choking her as the only thing holding her up became a fist around her neck. She would have reached up and held onto the man's fist but they'd long ago tied her hands behind her back.

"Bet you twenty Gald mine hits first," the other man came back. She squinted to her right, and saw the boy with the silver hair was dangling just like she was. He struggled to hold onto the hands holding him up, but his small fingers kept slipping.

"You're on, G-do," said Vidar. The big man raised her up slightly. "On three. One… Two…"

Suddenly a piece of wood snapped. For an instant, she swore that she saw G-do's head fly from his shoulders propelled by a fountain of blood. However, the air rushing past her took priority in her mind when she suddenly realized that she was falling into darkness.

* * *

**Had to re-write the ending since I tweaked the beginning of the next chapter. It should all flow smoothly together now, which you good readers will see next chapter. In either case, this release was a bit more on schedule than the last one, seeing as it's only been ten days, which is good. Drop a review if you feel so inclined. Thanks for reading.**

**I.K.A. Valian  
**

Namco Bandai owns the Tales of series. Nintendo owns the Legend of Zelda series. I own the plot and any original characters you may happen upon in this original work.

* * *

Posted 12/2/08

Update 12/15/08: Not changing anything, just letting all who read this know that TOS is Alternate Universe. Characters will be OOC.

Update 1/23/09: Revised the whole chapter. Made some changes to the way Colette acts and continued my revision of Link. Also some minor grammar fixes here and there.

Update 1/24/09: Revised some minor grammar mistakes and reworded some sentences, nothing major.


	4. IV Chapter Four

Legend!

The Forgotten Hero and the Eternal Swordsman

By I.K.A. Valian

* * *

_**Chapter Four: The Dark One Cometh

* * *

**_**Destination Unknown**

Zelda screamed into the rushing air, too panicked to fully appreciate the acoustics of the crevice. She continued to scream and scream, fearing the moment of her death, but never getting to experience the mortal event. Eventually, she gave up screaming, determined to die in solemn and dignified silence befitting to her station and title. And her throat hurt.

The contents of her short sixteen years of life flowed through her mind. She morbidly remembered her childhood in the castle, and how short it seemed now, at the end. She mourned leaving her father behind in the throne room, destined to die alone. The events of _that_ day surface as well. For the first time in years, she allowed herself to remember the training incident at the Magic Academy. With a deep breath to calm her nerves, she prepared for the final impact. She didn't expect that impact to be a wet and sticky grouping of strings and webbing.

The broad strings gripped her for all of two seconds before the sounds of snapping and ripped filled the air. The support she gained from the webbing quickly vanished and she fell again.

She grunted as the air was forced from her lungs when she landed on another sticky web moments later. This second set of strings snapped as well, but not before she was assaulted on her midsection and right leg by something sharp.

This series of events reoccurred four more times. Each time she gained a new injury; a lashing across her back, a cut across her forehead, a hard object mashing her foot in a direction it wasn't designed to turn.

The fall ended abruptly when she landed hard onto a stone floor. Milliseconds later, debris loosened from her descent piled on top of her with a loud whoosh. By the time peace reclaimed the dim chamber, there was a heap of webbing, rusty metal, and bones where there was clear space before.

The debris pushed down on her from all sides. The floor tried to smother her. If that weren't enough, the smell of everything around her made her want for the Castle garbage pit. Before her emotions could get the better of her, she took as deep a breath as she could in the cramped space and violently smothered her emotions. She couldn't let them gain control, not in a situation like this.

"Calm down, Zelda," she told herself. "You can do this. It's just like casting spells. You _will_ _not_ let your emotions take over."

The pep talk, ridiculous as it sounded, actually helped dampen the emotions roiling around inside of her. When she was in control once more, she tested her arms and legs to see what still worked. Her left arm was sore, but she could still move it back and forth easily enough. Her right arm was pinned down and she could feel it starting to go numb as pins and needles started picking at her skin. Fortunately she could still move her fingers. She couldn't feel or move her left leg and her right leg and abdomen were stinging along the cut she gained during the fall. The dirt being mashed into it at the moment wasn't helping.

"Okay… It's not so bad," she said. "I'm stuck under a pile of junk with injuries covering a good deal of my body. But I just have to take it one small step at a time and I'll be out of here before I know it."

Slowly, she began pushing objects to the side with her left hand. After a bit of work she had enough room to reach the debris holding her right arm down. She sighed when she finally managed to lift the metal plate pushing down on her arm. She could feel the blood as it rushed back into her arm. With two hands able to do work now, shifting one mass of stuff to someplace else in the cramped space, it wasn't long before she pulled herself free of the pile of rubble.

"Oh thank the Goddesses!"

She quickly crawled up to and leaned against the warm cave wall. Her heart raced still moment later as she stared back at the pile of stuff. After a few minutes sitting there, her back against the wall, she decided that she had to try and find a way out of wherever it was that she ended up. She took a final deep breath and attempted to stand.

"Holy Nayru, oww!" she wheezed.

She immediately leaned back against the wall as pain from her injuries made her legs wobble. With a loud hiss, she scrunched her face and quickly clamped down on the long cut across her midsection. It stung even more. She quickly pulled her hand away.

She hesitated, but forced herself to inspect the gash. It didn't look nearly as bad as it felt, but there was definitely a lot more blood than she was used to dealing with. Her gown, covered in blood, hung over her stinging wounds in dirty taters, barely lending her any decency at all. The state she was in left a sour taste in her mouth.

She fussed with her dress in an attempt to make herself more presentable. She stopped halfway through the process, and laughed. Who would be down there to see her in the first place?

The fact that she wasn't the only one dropped took that opportunity to reassert itself within her mind.

"Oh my... Where's the boy!"

Her eyes, after they adjusted to the dim red-orange glow in the cavern, searched wildly about the room and noticed the boy's hand sticking out from the pile of bones and things. His fingers clutched and released every few seconds. After taking a few moments to gather her courage, she bit the arrow shaft and pushed away from the wall.

She chuckled lightly, ridiculing herself for thinking of that cliché at the very moment when she really wished to have an arrow shaft to munch on. Instead she ground her teeth so tightly that she thought they would shatter, something that she hoped would have at least matched the pain she was in now. She also realized that her left foot had to be sprained, or broken, or something because it was growing numb and stiff as she forced herself to take steps toward the hand.

Regardless of her injuries, she arrived next to the boy's hand after no small amount of struggle. She grabbed the boy's wrist with her good left arm and heaved with all the strength she had left in her. For a few moments nothing happened except for the exploding pain in her mind as her wounds were torn open even further

"By the Lords of Hyrule, you're heavy boy," she grunted. The debris fell away from him easily enough, which meant, to her chagrin, that he was indeed a very heavy boy. "The Goddesses _must_ be testing me. Ugh!" She heaved and huffed and dragged him away. After what had to be the most monumental effort she'd ever put forth, especially considering her wounds, she looked down and discovered the reason the boy was so heavy.

"There are… two of them."

Both were unconscious. The one whose hand she grabbed was the silver haired boy from above. She was still struck by the silvery locks that fell from his head.

"What unusual hair," she said as she studied the young boy. Now that she had a better look at him, she could easily tell he was very young, in fact, he looked like the same age as the Hero. His blue outfit was torn up pretty badly from the fall, but she could tell it was easily in better condition than her dress was.

The other boy, the one she knew to be the holder of the Triforce of Courage, clung tightly to the ankles of the first. Even in his unconsciousness, his fists were shaking as he held on with what looked like a desperate near-death grip. This was a surprise but not a shock, she realized. From the first moments she saw him until the present, he did not strike her as the very courageous type. Rather, he appeared to be more of the buffoonish weakling type that grew up and pridefully took the role of village idiot when no one else would volunteer.

"How did the Hero get down here?" she wondered aloud, turning back to the silver-haired boy. She winced as the ankle wound cried out in pain from the movement.

Doing her best to ignore the pain, she thought back to the moments before she fell into the abyss. The large oaf of a man was standing on the edge with his big hand around her throat. She was dangling over the dark pit. She could swear that the short man's head went flying but she couldn't be sure. She knew that both she and the silver haired boy fell because they were both dropped. It all happened to suddenly, she wasn't sure what happened.

Somehow, in between that point and the point in time when they landed down here, the Hero must have joined them in the fall. She felt her cheeks grow warm when she thought it could have been during the time she was screaming like a banshee. True, she could scream fairly loudly, but it wasn't a very lady-like thing to do and therefore something she wasn't proud of.

"Skraaaaaaa!"

She involuntarily shrieked and hopped when the quickness of the blood curdling cry shook the walls of the dark tunnel she stood in. Some company joined her when both boys jerked awake and scrambled up off the floor like it was attempting to swallow them whole.

"What was that noise?!" asked the Hero. He was nearly hyperventilating as he pressed himself against the cave wall.

"I don't know," said the other boy. "But it didn't sound good."

"Oh goddess," moaned the Hero. "We're going to die." That statement furrowed her brow. What kind of Hero was he, saying something like that? Shouldn't he be all heroic and the like?

"We most certainly will not die!" she said as authoritatively as she could. She did not expect the power she so often heard her father use to come from her lips. Surprise and remorse mixed together as the memories of her father muddled together with the maddening joy of power. This only served to fuel her exasperation.

The two boys, however, had a different reaction to her sudden declaration. Both jumped into the air and spun around. The silver-haired boy screamed, as if trying to scare her away. The Hero froze in place and then quickly edged back away from her.

"Who are you?" asked the boy with the lustrous silver hair. "How did you get behind us?"

"I am Princess Zelda Ayalin Hyrule, Royal Heir to the throne of Hyrule and its territories," she stated matter-of-factly. Because of the darkness, it wasn't clear what their faces looked like, but she could tell from the way they didn't let down their guard that they didn't necessarily trust her word. "I'm the one that pulled you both from that pile of refuse. A show of gratitude would be most welcome considering the circumstances we find ourselves in."

Slowly, the silver-haired boy lowered his guard until he was standing in a neutral position. The tactical training ingrained upon her mind by Impa reminded her that a neutral position could easily go any direction and was a position that one took while in the presence of a possible enemy. Still, she was making progress and she had to keep that in mind.

"Where are we?" the Hero squeaked. She could see him turn his head back and forth quickly.

"We are at the bottom of a great abyss," she said. "We fell from the cliff above and landed down here. Some kind of web caught us on the way down and saved us from a most certainly grisly death."

"Link," she heard the silver-haired boy say. "Is that the person you were looking for?"

"Yes," the Hero said. His words were barely audible.

"Is she really a princess?" whispered the silver-haired one. The Hero nodded vigorously.

"You're name is Link?" she asked the Hero. She saw him tilt his head to look at her and then nodded once more. "I didn't know that," she said. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes while she tried to think of a plan, but instead dwelt on the numbing sensation in her left ankle.

"My name's Genis," said the boy with silver hair. "Genis Sage."

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Genis Sage," she said. She clenched her teeth as a fresh wave of pain rolled over her. When it passed, she opened her eyes and bowed to Genis as best she could. "Now, perhaps we should attempt to find an exit back to the surface." She pushed away from the wall with a small hiss. Pain or not, she wouldn't be a burden on these two in the attempt to find an exit.

"Skraaaaaaaa!"

"Monster! Get away! Monster! Augh!"

The scream and shouts that echoed through the chamber. Genis once more was in a defensive stance Link backed up a few steps. She took a moment to gather her wits and push the pain away before she stepped forward. The training she received for the past six years kicked in and a plan formed in her head.

"We aren't alone down here," Genis observed. "We have to find a way out of here before we're eaten by monsters."

"Eaten?!" Link said.

"I agree with you, Genis," she said. "However, we are hardly in any condition to make an escape. I am unsure of how the two of you fare, but I have several cuts and gashes as well as a possible broken ankle."

"I had a broken arm," said Genis as he reached into his pocket.

"Had?" she asked. "Are you a healer?"

"No," he replied. "I can't use the healing artes to save my life. I'm better at casting elemental spells than anything else, though I'm still a beginner." Genis made a small 'ah ha' noise when he found what he was looking for and extracted a small vial from his pocket. "I used an Apple Gel to heal up." Genis handed the vial to her and she cradled it in her palm, looking it over curiously. "At least, I'll be healed till Raine finds out where I've been."

"Is this like a red potion?" she asked. She held the vial up to her eye and looked through the sloshing red hued transparent contents.

"Huh?" asked Genis.

"Yes Princess," said Link. He took a few steps closer to her and Genis, but remained at arms length.

'Was he trying to avoid her?' she wondered.

"It tastes better though," Link added.

That piqued her interest. She twisted the cork top off and drank the small vial's contents quickly. Link was right about the taste. This stuff had red potions beat in that category by a mile and a half. It did not work as well as a red potion, as she quickly found out. The gashes and cuts on her body did heal up and the pressure in her foot decreased greatly. But other than that, she knew she wasn't fully healed because of the grating pain that now emanated from all over her body.

"Well," she said, her throat constricting reflexively from the pain, "I definitely feel a little better. Thank you Sir Sage."

"Just call me Genis, saying it that way makes me sound like a stuffy old man." Zelda giggled lightly as Genis reached into his pocket. A look of concentration passed over his features before concern and then worry. "Oh no," he said, "I'm sorry, that was my last one. If I'd known that this was going to happen…"

"It is fine, Sir Sa-err... Genis," she said, soothing the mind of the young boy. "I feel well and my foot is in better condition than it was. For now, I suggest we find a way out of here."

"Yeah, let's go," said Genis with a nod. She and Genis walked slowly to the only exit from the room. Link slowly trailed behind them. She still limped and had to focus on putting one foot in front of the other, but she was definitely more mobile than she was moments before. She wished the numbness would have remained, at least then she wouldn't have to feel the bones in her foot moving around where they shouldn't be.

* * *

**The Iselia Vortex**

After they explored the tunnels and walked for a while, Zelda's foot felt much better. The apple gels must simply take a longer time for full effect. Either way, by the time the three of them emerged from the tunnels, she was feeling much better.

"Amazing... Simply, amazing."

Zelda followed Genis into the next chamber. "I've never seen an underground chamber this large before," she said. Even Link cast his gaze about in wonder.

The ceiling was higher than the tallest spire of Hyrule Castle. The back of the chamber was so far away that it fell into darkness. Water sloshed around her feet, only a couple inches deep. She could smell it in the air, salt water, as one would smell at sea. The water came from above, in great roaring waterfalls that sprouted from the ceiling randomly. The water, once it reached bottom, sloshed wildly about in great pools before it drained off into a great hole in the center of the room.

"I think that's the ocean above our heads," said Genis. All their eyes cast upwards. Light shone through the waterfalls. Sparkling rainbows were present around the pillars of falling water. "This must be the Iselia Vortex!"

"The Iselia Vortex?" she asked. "What might that be?"

"It's more of a legend really," he explained. "It's said that ships sometimes disappeared as they passed by the cliffs of Iselia, sucked down into the water as if pulled by the invisible hand of Undine herself. No one's ever seen it happen though so I always thought it was made up. If this place really exists, then I wonder what other crazy stories are based on real phenomena."

"I don't think we should spend too much time down here," said Link from behind her and Genis. She turned and placed her hands on her hips, a stance she learned from Impa. She then sternly stared down at him.

'Why was he saying that instead of trying to find a way for them to escape?' she thought.

"I don't like wide open spaces and this one gives me the creeps," he said. He lowered his eyes when he caught sight of her gaze.

"Ahhh! Run away!"

They stood in but one of the entrances into this cavernous chamber. The three of them turned toward another cave exit. Sounds of heavy breathing and rocks crumbling echoed from within.

She saw the large oaf, the one that dropped her into the abyss, emerge covered in sweat and streaks of blood. She and the others watched him stumble constantly as he ran as quickly as his over sized legs allowed could. Water sloshed madly around his feet from the pace he was somehow able to maintain. Brown, muddy water went flying all around him.

Suddenly, there was a loud whooshing sound as an enormous gob of white goo launched into the air. She didn't have time to blink before the large oaf screamed in terror. The goo impacted with his back and sent him skidding to a halt on the water covered ground. He tried to stand back up, frantically scrambling to move forward at the same time, but the goo stuck fast to the ground under the water.

Then, with the grace of a flying monkey, a huge, hairy black body with eight long appendages landed heavily on top of the big oaf. The landing caused the floor to shake lightly under their feet and the water to tremble around their ankles. She watched with bated breath as the man screamed and panicked beneath the enormous spider, all to no avail. She involuntarily flinched when the great monster snapped its jaw mandibles several times and then sunk its gaping, drooling maw into the chest of the giant of a man.

The man's anguished screams were loud. The scene was painful for her to watch; it wasn't a habit of hers to watch people be eaten alive. She wasn't sure, moments later, if she should be happy he stopped screaming or even more sickened because the spider just ripped the man's still beating heart from his chest with several other organs.

* * *

**The Great Beast: Ghoma of the Vortex**

"Uh…" mumbled Link. She turned her head slightly to the side and saw him edge backwards. "I think we should get out of here."

"Too late!" Genis cried.

She spun back around and saw the spider barreling toward them. The muscles in her arm twitched and her hand appeared in front of her. Had her magic been unsealed, Nayru's Love would have created a magical barrier around the three of them. Instead, the seal on her wrist grew hot as it blocked the spell from being cast.

"Goddess damn it!" she shouted. She gasped when she realized what she said. She didn't get long to think on it before the spider was upon them.

She dove to the left while Genis jumped right. Link was running already, quite quickly she thought, toward the tunnel closest to them. The spider saw this and roared in a manner similar in her mind to a beastly chuckle. Then it reared its hind quarters up and another glob of white goo launched from its behind.

The glob did not grab Link and force him to the ground, like it had done to the large man. Instead the goo flew over Link's shoulder and into the entrance of the cave where it exploded. Link skidded to a stop in front of the now blocked entrance and immediately bolted for the next cave over.

The spider started chucking web goo at each of the multitude of cave entrances, stuffing them up with sticky spider webbing. Link finally gave up on escape when the all the exits that were close enough to run to were clogged up with webbing. He slowly turned around, his skin pale, and his arms shaking as the spider crawled quickly toward him with the intent to kill.

"Fireball!"

Three moderately sized fireballs launch into the air with a whoosh. They flew directly toward the spider, which was facing away from the oncoming attack. The fireballs collided in a flash and an explosion. The great monster cried out as the place where the webbing came from caught on fire.

"Yeah! Gotcha!" shouted Genis, jumping into the air victoriously.

"Genis," she shouted, a sinking feeling growing in the pit of her stomach, "run!"

"Huh?" The boy caught on quickly when the spider turned around, roared loudly, and started skittering their way. "Oh no. Ah!"

Both she and Genis took off running. After a couple seconds, the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. She immediately dodged left. Three moderately sized gooballs flew past where her head just was.

Before she could count her blessings, she started running again. Genis ran in the opposite direction. The spider came to a stop between the two of them. For a moment it didn't move, then it turned and chased after Genis.

She stopped when she saw this. She had to do something to get that thing away from Genis. Where was Link when she needed him?!

"Come on Princess!" She felt a hot palm latch onto her wrist and start to pull. She nearly stumbled as Link started nearly dragging her through the water toward the nearest exit cave. "We've got to get out of here."

"Where were you?!" she asked, "And what about Genis?" Her brow furrowed and her lips trembled. The idea of abandoning someone in need, as Genis clearly was, made her stomach do flip-flops. It brought the last image of her father back to her and set the situation in stone for her. "Stop!"

"Raine! Lloyd! Anyone, heeeeeeelp!"

"We're almost there!" cried Link frantically. She could see he was hyperventilating as he sloshed forward. "We can make it if-"

"I said, STOP!" She grabbed Link's arm and pulled back. The boy tripped and she barely managed to stay standing while still holding the boy's arm. "What in the heavens do you think you're doing? What kind of Hero runs away? How can you live with yourself knowing your letting someone innocent die when there's something you can do about it?!"

Link, with plastered wet hair framing his face, stared at her. The innocent bewildered look only served as more fuel to her outrage.

"Heeelp!"

"How can you run away now?!" she said. Her eye brows arched and her nostrils flared. "This is what you were meant to do since you were born! This is your purpose! To save the innocent! To drive back evil! To stand for all that is good and just in the world! To be the stuff of legends! How could you-"

Now she was hyperventilating. She took a moment to calm herself down. Link continued to stare at her, confused and scared.

"It's not like we'll be able to escape this monster anyway," she said. "That big man it killed moments ago was stronger than all of us combined and still the beast got him. We can run no longer." Memories of her father's last moment's and how she ran away. If only she had stayed then maybe... "Maybe he wouldn't have died," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

She stared into the innumerable, sickly, yellow-green eyes of the monster spider without fear, somehow summoning the courage to stand there. A part of her mind wondered if this was the grace one received from the goddesses when they were truly about to die. The grace to die in peace, regardless of circumstances.

Just as Genis ran past her, he tripped. She also felt her arm twitch again and suddenly her hand was once more in front of her. She knew that last gesture would be futile. That is, until the spider, with a sickening crunch, smashed into the semi-transparent blue shield that was surrounding her, Link, and Genis.

It took several seconds for her brain to register that the spider, indeed, had hit something and that it was, in fact, her shield that it had hit. When the realization finally dawned on her, she turned her head down, her brow furrowed with confusion, to inspect the seal upon her wrist. It wasn't Ganondorf's seal that made her eyes widen with surprise, but the softly glowing Triforce of Courage inside of Link's hand which was still in her tight grip.

"SKRAAAAAAAAAAA!"

The spider's roar was deafening this close up, causing the shield around her, Link and Genis, to ripple. It reared back on its hind legs and a started slamming downward onto the shield with the front half of its body. The magic was surprisingly strong and held up fairly well after several quick slams of what had to be a ton heavy body.

"We… are still alive?" asked Genis looking about at the shield. "H-how? Where did this barrier come from?"

"It's a spell I know," said Zelda, turning from the spider to look at Genis. The great beast became enraged that its prey was so close that it could practically taste them, but was held back by some force it could not comprehend. Genis wasn't so casual with his attention and continued to completely focus on the huge insect. "We should be safe-"

The monster skittered back a few feet and then launched itself at the shield. The thundering impact knocked both Zelda and Link to the ground where Genis had stayed after tripping moments before. When they looked up, there was a large crack in the shield that was quickly expanding.

"I think you spoke too soon," Genis said, quickly standing up. "We've got to get out of here! This shield won't last for long."

"I don't understand," she said. "This shield is blessed by the goddesses and should be impervious to any physical attack short of boulders the size of a house being thrown at it."

"I don't know if you noticed," said Genis, as the spider prepared to jump at the shield once more, "but that thing is huge and has to weigh at least a ton. That's twelve thousand pounds. And with the added force of gravity applied, that thing's like four boulders rolled into one."

"But-"

Once more the spider landed on top of the shield. Surprisingly, it held, but more pieces of it fell away, opening holes which the spider immediately stuck its hairy legs through in a vain attempt to snatch one of the prey inside. After a few attempts the bug gave up and skittered away for another attempt.

"It can't take much more of this," she said, "One more hit and it's gone. We have to get out of here."

"Can't you cast it again?" asked Genis, pressing himself as much as he could against the back side of the bubble like shield.

"I'm trying!" she said, casting and throwing her arm upward once more. "It's like something's blocking my… Oh no." She looked down and Link's wrist wasn't in her hand anymore. "Link!" A quick search found him standing a few feet away. "Come back here!" Had he finally snapped and gone insane? He was walking toward the spider.

"Link! Get away from there!" She tried to keep the panic from her voice, but was unable to keep it from quivering, sounding weak and small.

"Link!" she heard Genis shout.

"SKRAAAAA!"

The monster's roar sent shivers down her spine. She heard someone screaming shrilly as it leaped for the final time toward the shielded three. She closed her eyes and fell to her knees just as the shield shattered, sounding to her ears like glass hitting stone pavement.

She waited for the end. For the spider to lop her head off with one swing of its legs. Or be disemboweled by the great beast with a single swipe of it drooling jaws.

She waited for several seconds for something to happen. But she was denied death once more. Instead the monster screamed out in pain as a great ripping rent the air.

Adrenalin ripped through her system for the umpteenth time that day. With it she shot from her knees into a standing position to survey what happened. She found Link as he rigidly stood in front of the retreating spider, covered in the monsters green blood, holding one of the monster's great hairy legs. Dumbfounded, she wondered if the wimpy, no good boy had grown a spine and muscles to match in the last few seconds. Or had the goddesses smiled upon them that day and granted them a real Hero.

The spider roared at them again, but this time it was a sound riddled with fear. Link stalked forward, swinging the decapitated leg in circles over his head so that it was in the perfect position for bashing the giant bug, which he did. Many times. Each swing, the giant spider gave out a cry of pain.

After counting twenty hits of equal strength and ferocity, she could easily see that the spider was not willing to try and eat them anymore. It was bleeding green blood like crazy, polluting the pristine water around it into a murky brown-green mess. It tried to pull itself away from the beating it was receiving, but Link dropped the leg, leaped into the air, and landed on its back.

She winced as Link violently ripped another leg off and started the beating again. The creature cried out and started wildly rocking and swinging about. It got so wild until it suddenly flipped over and landed on its back, right on top of Link.

Two tense seconds went by. She could feel her heart racing. She reached out a hand toward the scene of carnage when the bug's body rumbled. Link's fist exploded from the inside of the underbelly. Amazingly, he dug his way through the spider to the other side. The spider did not take kindly to this and wiggled wildly about. Then, as if sensing that movement futile, tried to right itself so that it could escape.

Link didn't give it the chance though. He pulled himself from the spider and jumped onto its head. Then he brutally and efficiently punch each and every one of its eyes out. He ruptured each jelly filled sack with a quick jab. The goo inside squirted violently out like an erupting volcano.

The spider's cries of pain and misery were slowly died off. Yet Link continued to beat its brains out. The monster gave one last heave with its legs stretched out all the way and then it died. Link continued the attack, one fist after another. Even when the skull collapsed and all manner of gory innards decorated his face, Link continued.

"Martel have mercy…" She didn't need to look at Genis to know what he meant. She felt the same way. Who was this great warrior that sprung from the wimpy useless boy whose body he inhabited?

He was certainly effective and strong, if not harsh and brutal. He showed no mercy at all to the giant monster. Even she would have let the spider go after the second leg came off. But this warrior, this Link went like a laser for the kill. Perhaps Link was a warrior in disguise and only chose to act at the very last moment.

"Link," she said with her hand held out. Link either couldn't hear her or ignored her. "Link, it's dead." She took a step forward, unsure how to break through to him. "Link you can stop now."

Link ignored her and continued to smash the remains into the water. He appeared so focused in his work. She jumped when he suddenly stopped the pounding. She was now two feet away from him.

Chills ran up and down her spine when she realized that she was just inches from someone who ripped a huge monster to pieces with his bare hands. The possibility of that happening to her hadn't crossed her mind until now. He wouldn't hurt her, would he?

"Link?" she said, her voice barely registering above a strained whisper. Link slowly turned his head to look over his shoulder directly at her. Her breath caught in her throat when her eyes met icy cold, hardened irises.

"What, Princess?" Link rasped foully enough to make both her and Genis, who'd stayed put several feet behind her, visibly take a step back. She swallowed loudly enough that the sound sent more involuntary shivers down her spine.

"I…" she said.

She paused, not knowing what to say. She realized, to her chagrin after the fact, that she feared this person. Where ever he came from he was powerful and brutal. He appeared out of control when fighting. How in the world could she tell him that it was okay to stop when he could simple continue anyway? She instinctively fell back on her speaking lessons. The ones she never imagined having need of.

"I just wanted to say that you've accomplished your duty and we are now safe," she said.

Link looked down at the bug remains, at his left hand that was still lodged in the former spider. "I suppose it is dead," he said slowly. With a violent tug, he pulled his left hand free and quickly kicked the corpse, punting the remains a few feet away. The sudden action caused her to jerk involuntarily.

"Link," she asked tentatively, "are you okay?"

"Of course I'm oka-aaaaaaah!" She froze as Link fell to his knees, his right hand clutching his left arm just below the wrist. The Triforce symbol was glowing so brightly that she was forced to shield her eyes. The light lasted only a few seconds. When she lowered her arms, Link was still there. He stared at the back of his left hand where the Triforce symbol was no longer glowing.

"My hand is numb," Link mumbled.

"Link?"

Link's eyes bulged and he looked up. He immediately shot to his feet and locked onto the spider corpse. His arm shot out and he pointed at the great dead beast with a gasp.

"W-what happened to that… that thing?!" he shouted. He looked at her, then at Genis. "Did one of you kill it?"

She shook her head. Genis did as well. Why was he acting this way? Could it be he wasn't aware of what just happened?!

"If neither of you killed it, then who… why are you looking at me like that," Link asked.

"Don't you remember anything you just did, Link?" asked Genis. The young boy slowly moved closer to the two of them. Each step appeared measured and precise.

"I…" Link looked befuddled so she stepped forward and pointed toward the spider.

"You did that, Link," she explained. "You became some kind of… super Hero and tore that monster limb from limb with your bare hands." Link stared at her for nearly a minute without saying anything. Then he turned to Genis. Genis nodded in response to Link's unspoken question.

Link looked at both of them again, and then laughed. Loud and hard. His laughter reverberated far enough to echo off the high ceiling and the walls. It shook his body and made him fall to his knees again.

She was totally confused at this point. Just moments before, he was a killing machine. A warrior that seemed forged in the heat of the fiercest of battles. Now, he was back to being the Link from before. What in the name of all that was good and holy just happened?!

"That's a good one," said Link, his laughter now down to a regular chuckle. "Me? Killing that thing? With my bare hands! That's impossible. Completely, utterly impossible. I could never kill something that big, and…" Link looked back at the dead spider and swallowed loudly, "…scary. I can't even stop Lanieu and you're saying I did that-" he pointed behind him at the dead spider, "-with my bare hands? You must be crazy! Both of you! Er… Sorry Princess."

She'd crossed her arms and looked at him sternly when he called her crazy. He shrank under her gaze like he normally did, which meant that whatever had been there before was truly gone. But what was to say that it wouldn't come back? What was the cause or the trigger?

"We're not lying, Link," said Genis defensively. "You were going crazy on that spider. You ripped off two of its legs and started beating it with them. After that, you started bashing its head in until the back of your hand flashed really brightly and then you were back to normal."

"The back of my hand?" Link raised his left hand and inspected it. The Triforce symbol was dark, as it was before he'd fallen into this mess. "My hand is still just as numb now as it was before."

"Perhaps your transformation has something to do with the Triforce of Courage," she murmured to herself. Genis overheard her musings and turned to her.

"What's the Triforce of Courage?" he asked.

"It is…" she paused. Link was watching her curiously, so he obviously knew this was a sensitive topic. That meant he was leaving it up to her to decide.

How much should she tell Genis? It couldn't hurt to be too careful, considering she had no way of knowing how long it would be before she and Link went back to Hyrule. And she didn't really know that much about Genis anyway. On the other hand, it couldn't hurt for him to know the basics and he did help heal her with that Apple Gel.

"The Triforce of Courage is something that the Hero wields in his quest against the forces of evil," she explained. "There are three pieces of the Triforce: Power, Wisdom, and Courage. Evil usually tends to favor the Power piece and it is usually the Hero with the Courage piece that balances things out."

"What about the Triforce of Wisdom?" asked Genis.

Link let his eyes wander about the room. He took in the waterfalls coming from the invisible ceiling above. The soothing sound of running water tricklying by their feet. The sparkling lights above and all around him kept him from looking at just one place at a time. He tried to see where they were coming from, the sparkling lights, but found it futile.

"That piece stays with the royal family of Hyrule in the hopes that it will lend its powers for fair and equal governing during times of peace," she said. Not entirely the truth, but not false either. It was the ideal situation, but she had her suspicions that the Triforce of Wisdom had its other uses too. Not that she'd ever find out here.

"Does that mean that you have this Wisdom piece?" Genis asked. "I mean, you're royalty and all."

"Hey, what's that?" asked Link. He was looking at the spider's corpse. She looked over Link's shoulder to see what he could be looking at. She didn't see anything but the sparkling light reflecting off of the water floating in the air.

"No, I do not," she said. She faced Genis, but kept a wary eye on Link. "Only rulers of Hyrule receive that piece. I do not execute any of the functions required of a ruler. Wisdom should still be in Hyrule, with… my father." She cast her face downward. Her want to think of something else found her concentrating on the water moving past her feet. Now that she was thinking about it, her shoes and dress were soaked.

"Darn," Genis said. "It would have been so awesome to see two Triforces at work. I mean, if Link turns into a great warrior with the Triforce of Courage, then what would someone else turn into with the Triforce of Wisdom or Power."

"I can tell you that Power's transformation would likely result in swine-like qualities," she said. "Our legends tell of one man who obtained the Triforce of Power and became a monstrous pig creature, the King of Evil, Ganon."

Genis' skin paled almost enough to rival the color of his hair. "On second thought," he said, "maybe the Triforce of Courage is enough."

"Yes," she agreed. "Though I do not know why or how it manifests itself within Link in such a manner. It's almost as if the Triforce is being stifled or bottled up within him, as if his weak personality is a prison for its true nature."

"So when it does come to the front," said Genis, "it does so violently." Genis nodded, deep in thought. "Kind of like when steam shoots out of a tea kettle when it's heated up. It would certainly explain a lot of what we just saw. What about your magic? You said it was blocked when you tried to recast the shield spell, but it went up so easily the first time."

"Again, I think it was the Triforce of Courage," she said. "It was only when I had a hold of Link's arm, the one that contained the Triforce, that I was able to cast my magic. Perhaps the power of the Triforce has some peripheral ability to suspend seals. I've certainly never heard of such an ability."

"What is that?" she heard Link ask off in the distance.

She looked back toward the spider and found Link missing. Her heart leaped into her throat.

"Link!" she shouted.

She ran to the side of the spider's body and spotted him. Both she and Genis jogged toward Link. He was staring at a shining light in the distance. One she hadn't seen before. Perhaps it was a way out!

"What is that light?" she asked.

* * *

**Another Triforce?**

He was, frankly, happy to be away from those two. He was usually better off alone. Plus, those two must have hurt themselves on the trip down here. Or maybe they were both playing with his mind. He didn't think Genis was that kind of person. Not from their first meeting. So maybe they were just seeing things.

He looked over his shoulder, taking another glance at the dead spider. Just seeing it made him shiver with the willies. How in the world could those two even say he did that? They had to know how weak he was, so… They had to be seeing things.

In any case, it was dead now. Dead as the roaches that old bird lady in Castle Town killed when she stomped on them. She always seemed to be caught up in her own little dance, the song a rant about roach killing. Even he thought she was funny to watch sometimes, when the others weren't chasing him.

With the spider dead and the other two in a deep conversation about… stuff, he decided to see what was shining so brightly in the distance. He noticed it when he checked out a spider leg that twitched. There was no guarantee that whatever really did kill it actually finished the job. So he went to see if the monster was actually playing dead only so it could snap back up moments later and eat them all whole. But it was just twitching, like other dead bugs he'd seen, and that's when he noticed the pulsing light.

The light was suspended in the air. He couldn't see what it was, only that it was blinking on and then off. It was so bright that the closer he got to it, the more he was forced to wince his eyelids shut. He stopped to stare at the stairs that led the shining light and covered his eyes.

"What is that?" he asked.

"Link!" He jumped and spun around, surprised by hearing his name called. "What is that light?"

"I… uh, don't know," he said. He calmed slightly when he realized it was only Genis and the Princess. This had to be the first time his name was called without someone wanting to chase him afterwords.

"Well…" said Genis, holding his hand up to shield his eyes, "let's check it out!" He lifted his leg from the water, loudly dripping the liquid onto the moss choked steps, and started up the stairs. He and the Princess followed Genis and cast their own splashes of water drops about. The princess paused though, once she was out of the water, to adjust her hole-ridden dress; she twisted the once regal material tightly which squeezed water out. He watched the clear liquid drip to the floor and run in rivulets down her arms.

Then she paused and looked at him. "What, may I ask, is so riveting about what I am doing?" She dropped the portion of dress she was holding to stare at him. With the full force of her gaze upon him, he felt all interest and curiosity about her dress wither up and die. "It is not proper to stare at a lady's dress," she admonished.

"S-sorry, P-princess," he stuttered. He quickly looked away.

"Hey," shouted Genis, his voice echoing into the distance, "you two should see this thing!"

The Princess stared at him for a few seconds more. Then her gazed softened. "Thank you," she said. He looked back at her. "For saving us."

She turned and started up the stairs again. He followed with his head down, a frown upon is brow. Was it possible that he did do what they say he did?

"Oh my," he heard the Princess mumble. "That's not possible."

"Is this one of those Triforce things," asked Genis.

He pointed at a marble pedestal in the center of the platform. Floating above the pedestal was a small black triangle that spun slowly in a counterclockwise direction. Every time its surface hit a certain angle, the light coming from above flashed in his eyes.

"I do not think so," said the Princess. She walked toward the pedestal and stopped a few feet from it. "It has the same shape, yes, but this one is black. The Triforce is made of solid gold."

He looked at black Triforce and then down to the mark on the back of his numb left hand. They looked the same. Still, everyone knew that the Triforce was made of gold. That was why it was called the Golden Power. Every picture, every story, every reference he'd ever heard regarding the Triforce said it was gold. Now he stood in front of a completely black one. It almost felt like it wanted him to touch it.

"Perhaps there is more than one kind of Triforce," said Genis. "This is the kind we have here, in Sylvarant, while the golden kind is the one you have in Hyrule."

"That is possible, I suppose," said the princess. She was gazing at the black Triangle as it spun in front of her. "There is a lot about the Triforce and its origins that we do not know. For now, I think it would be best if we look for a way out of he-"

"What do you think these markings mean?" Genis said, interrupting the Princess. He was reading a bronze colored metal plaque attached to the side of the pillar supporting the pedestal. "It doesn't look like angelic."

"Let me see," said the Princess. She stepped next to Genis and inspected the plaque.

While she and Genis look at the plaque, he moved up close to the pedestal. He wanted to get closer to the black Triforce. He reached out to touch the slowly spinning object.

"It's some form of ancient Hylian," the Princess said, her eyes squinted as she deciphered the ancient script. "Is one kept in or are all kept out. That is the nature of this. And then... a poem of some kind."

"The nature of what?" asked Genis. "I don't get that at all."

"It's a riddle," the Princess said. "What is an Ancient Hylian riddle doing here? I think it's saying that this place is a prison of some sort."

"If this is a prison, then maybe that black Triforce is the key to getting out," said Genis, his voice rising with excitement. "What does the poem say?"

"The sun burn with the passion of the elders. Its rays of light shine thought the enveloping darkness to the surface of the world. Where the elder's passion does not shine, great walls of glacial ice form. Where the elders' passion shines, the great glaciers form pools of endless tears. The air howls with the sorrow of the people. The gods above strike down all that is evil with their hammers of light. Then the world is at peace."

"Hmm...I think it might be part of the riddle," said Genis. "It almost sounded like the person who wrote it was describing a picture. Maybe that picture was in here, but has since deteriorated due to the water. Oh man, Raine would kill to see this place."

The princess stood still, her brow scrunched up as she thought. "This place… is a temple of sorts, a dungeon filled with traps and monsters and a sacred or powerful object at the very end. We use such buildings to protect precious objects in Hyrule. Perhaps the ancient people here used it to worship the natural elements. If that's the case, and this Hylian script leads me to believe so, then that Black Triforce isn't the key to escape it's the-" The princess looked up just in time to see Link snatch the Black Triforce. "Link, NO!"

He didn't react to the princess in time. He already had the black Triforce in his hands. The Triforce of Courage suddenly lit up like the sun. A hazy, black and red cloud was expelled from the black Triforce, a cloud with a single eye in the center.

He fell backwards onto the platform just as the eye was opening. His heart was racing, his mind a jumble of panic. He couldn't comprehend what was happening, only that the great eye was looking directly at him. His blood froze in his veins as it laughed into his head. He squeezed his eyes shut and threw his arms over his head in the hopes that the great evil thing would go away.

"Bah Eixe Exulasa!" boomed the dark cloud, its voice so loud that his ears were ringing.

The ground shook and the water roared. Rocks overhead started to crumble and fall. The princess screamed. Genis cried out for his sister. A great roaring filled the room. It sounded like the world was coming down on top of them.

Then all was quiet. The ground wasn't even shaking very much anymore, just a slight vibration. He peaked out from behind his arms and saw not the dark evil cloud floating above him, nor the cavern ceiling just inches away from crushing him, but the wide open, cloudless, blue sky. The sun was shining merrily at its apex, signaling lunch time to any who found themselves with a rumbly in their tummy.

He shot to his feet, struck by the lightning of having nearly died but survived but for the grace of the goddesses. He was alive! The Princess and Genis were alive too, laying on the ground a few feet away. They were all alive and safe from falling rocks, monster spiders, and crazy black clouds that made him want to crawl into a corner and wither away. But... how?

* * *

**And here we go with Chapter four. This chapter is being released ten days after the last chapter, just like the last chapter was released ten days after chapter two. Interesting. In any event, I do hope you enjoy it. And Merry Christmas!**

**Also, I must mention the collaboration effort that Baby Kat Snophlake is putting together. Anyone and everyone who wants to be involved can do so by going to **"http:// www. fanfiction .net/forum/ToS_Collaboration/54468/" (Take out the spaces)**. Tell your friends, family, and anyone who will listen (even your dog or cat or fish). Leave a review if you so choose.  
**

**I.K.A. Valian  
**

Namco Bandai owns the Tales of series. Nintendo owns the Legend of Zelda series. I own the plot and any original characters you may happen upon in this original work.

* * *

Posted: 12/12/08

Update 12/15/08: Not changing anything, just letting all who read this know that TOS is Alternate Universe. Characters will be OOC.

Update 1/29/09: Revised the whole chapter. Added a poem. I wonder if anyone can decipher it...

Update 1/31/09: Revised some more.


	5. V Chapter Five

Legend!

The Forgotten Hero and the Eternal Swordsman

By I.K.A. Valian

* * *

**_Chapter Five: When The Sky Falls, Run_**

**_

* * *

_**

**A Fallen Hero's Damnation**

Derris Kharlan, ancestral home of the Elves. Long before the enormous comet arrived in the Aselia System, it wandered the stars. Now, in his ancestor's home, Mithos Yggdrasill looked down upon the world. A world he so wished to change, so that his sister's last wish might be fulfilled.

"Martel," said Yggdrasill, "I swear your last wish will be carried out. On my life, I swear it." A tall man, with long blond locks of hair flowing past his back, Yggdrasil turned from the great window and stalked toward the round disk inserted into the flooring.

He stepped onto the pad. The disk lit up for an instant, sending white Mana upwards. Yggdrasill was then disintegrated, turning into white Mana himself. Then all the Mana floating above the disk was sucked down into the pad.

Seconds later, Yggdrasill's Mana was ejected from a similar disk inside of a different room on Derris Kharlan. Yggdrasill's body reformed from the white Mana. He opened his eyes and took a deep breath.

In the room were two people. Both were Angels. Their white wings flapped at a slow and steady pace to keep them afloat several inches above the floor.

"It is time for the oracle to be conveyed," he said to his servants. "Go. Bring Lord Remiel here."

"Yes," both angels said at the same time. Their voices were monotonous. Such was to be expected from mindless drones.

He walked forward into the room. In the center was a control console. He pressed several buttons on the console and watched as one wall of the room slid downward with a mechanical whine. Revealed was a highly advanced city, filled with tall buildings, moving sidewalks, and angels. The city of Welgia, home of Cruxis.

"Hehehehe..."

Yggdrasil spun around. "Who's there," he said. His eyes darted about the bland room, but found nothing. "Show yourself."

"Bah eixe riets zisle." The words seem to float on the air. He couldn't see who was speaking them nor which direction the words were coming from. "Disck fviens vu zeesh beh?"

"Very well then," Yggdrasill said, "if you won't reveal yourself, then I'll destroy this building and you with it." Yggdrasil held out his hand. White Mana began gathering around his feet, runes formed quickly from the Mana, and the room began to fill with a hazy white mist. Yggdrasill opened his eyes. "Judgmen-"

"Bah disxiens vu eh zith."

The white mist was sucked from the room, replaced by a pitch black cloud. In the center of the cloud was a single eye. The eye stared directly at Yggdrasill.

"So, you're the one who's going to die today," Yggdrasil said. "Very well."

"Hehehe..." The cloud seemed to stretch foreword, toward Yggdrasill. He attempted to back up, but he bumped into more of the black cloud. He realized too late that he was surrounded.

His screams were heard by the Angles flying by his window, but none of them had the mind to be concerned. They each had a duty and they each focused on it completely. Efficient to a fault, the majority of the angels in Welgia would die carrying out their assigned duties.

The pitch blackness in the room slowly dissipated. Eventually, Yggdrasill was revealed writhing on the floor. Black smoke slithered into his mouth and nose. It penetrated past his eyelids into his eyes. Every opening into Yggdrasill's body was absorbing the black substance.

Finally, Yggdrasill ceased his movement on the floor. For several moments he lay there, not moving a single part of his body. Then Yggdrasill's eyes snapped open. He lifted his arm and lowered it back to the floor. Then he did the same with his other arm.

Flapping wings in the hallway became louder and louder until the door opened. Into the room floated an angel. This one was more than a mindless drone. He was one who showed promise as a leader before he was turned into an angel. His green and white robes swished with each flap of his pristine white wings.

"My Lord," said the angel. He bowed in Yggdrasill's direction. Yggdrasill looked up at the angel from the floor. For a moment he stared at the angle with a blank look. Then recognition dawned behind Yggdrasill's eyes.

"Remiel, I summoned you." Yggdrasil stopped. He reached a hand up to his throat and felt it. Then he made several different noises.

"Yes, my lord, you did,' Remiel said. "My lord, are you well?"

"Ah... Yes." Yggdrasill stood up. For a moment he looked down at his hands, then he raised his head and gazed out the window. "So... brilliant."

"My Lord?"

Yggdrasill turned and faced Remiel. "I have a new assignment for you, Remiel. I want you to find Pronyma and tell her that I order her and all the Desians to return to Welgia. I shall go and retrieve the Chosen myself."

"As you wish, Lord Yggdrasill." Remiel bowed and floated backwards out the door.

"One last thing, Remiel." Remiel stopped and looked at Yggdrasil again. "Call me Lord Agahnim from now on," Yggdrasill said.

"Yes, Lord Agahnim." Remiel bowed again and backed out the door.

* * *

**Exodus**

**Note: This scene replays the end of Chapter 3 from Colette and Kratos point of view.**

Colette lost her breath and sparks filled the air. The connection point where Kratos' sword sunk into the rock wall glowed an angry red. The sounds of battle, steel hitting steel, continued without he and Colette. The sound ended too quickly for Lloyd to have won.

Not that Kratos expected any different. The boy was too unfocused and untrained to defeat two opponents of such strength. Kratos could only hope that the Lloyd was smart enough to play dead or that he was knocked unconscious so the two wouldn't outright kill him. He had to know for sure if Lloyd was the one he was looking for.

"Chosen, climb up onto my back," he said. Wordlessly, Colette climbed up his arm and latched onto his back. He took a quick, deep breath and heaved himself up with the one arm holding his sword. With his other hand he searched the rock face for a hand hold. He found one before the strength in his other arm gave out and then balanced his and Colette's weight.

"Looks like I caught a runt, Vidar."

He glanced up at the voice of one of the two Desians. Colette did as well.

"Who could they be talking about?" she asked. "Do you think they got Link?"

"There is no way to know until we arrive back at the top," Kratos said. They couldn't see the men from where they were. There was a rocky outcropping between where they were hanging and where the men were standing on the edge of the precipice. He barely grimaced as he found another hand hold. He wrenched his sword from the rock face and pulled the two of them higher.

"I think mine will hit bottom first." Another voice. The voice was deeper than the Desian that just talked. He reasoned that it was the larger Desian.

"Hurry Kratos," urged Colette, "they might have hurt Lloyd and Genis. And we can't let them do anything to that girl."

"One thing at a time, Chosen," Kratos said.

He grabbed onto another handhold and pulled the two of them higher once more. A small handful of rocks broke loose and fell into the pit yawning below them. He held his position and waited to see if the two Desians heard it.

"Bet you twenty Gald mine hits first!" said the smaller Desian.

He quickly searched for another handhold. Colette tugged on his shirt.

"Hurry Kratos!" she said.

"You're on G-do," said the deeper voiced Desian. "On three..."

He found the handhold he was looking for and reached for it. With a quite heave, he pulled himself and Colette a full two feet higher.

"One..." The deeper voiced Desian chuckled after he said the count. In his mind's eye, he could see the two Desians holding two children over the pit, grinning into their fear filled visages.

Colette wriggled about, her feet brushing against his free hanging legs. He reached up and grabbed another hand hold. He could see the edge of the cliff now.

"Two..." This time it was the other Desian who said the count. He could hear more chuckling and then a soft pitter-patter of quick footsteps. It sounded like someone small ran right past where they would pop up in just a few seconds.

Colette suddenly became very still. He found the final handhold and heaved. Just before their heads popped over the edge, there was a loud splatter of liquid. Then a scream echoed into the chamber. From the Doppler Effect, he estimated that the Desians had dropped the woman they'd come to rescue into the pit.

With a satisfied grunt, he pulled both himself and Colette up and onto the plateau. Strangely, he found only a puddle of blood. Next to it was the broken hilt of one of Lloyd's swords. He could see Lloyd slumped on his side against the far wall. Other than him, there was no one else in sight. 'Where did the two Desians go?' he wondered.

"Oh Goddess," Colette exclaimed. She climbed off of his back and ran to Lloyd to see if he was okay. Satisfied he was alive, she ran to the edge, next to the pool of blood. "I think they all fell down... that poor girl."

"Oww..." He looked to his left and saw Lloyd start to move around.

"I wonder where the two men went," said Colette.

"What happened?" asked Lloyd. He dusted himself off and joined the two of them on the edge. "Did we beat them? Where's Link's friend? And where's Genis?"

He focused on Lloyd, surprised he overlooked the missing half-elf. While Lloyd and Colette began calling out for their friend, he looked down and studied the floor. Small traces of a struggle were visible in the dust and dirt. The way a rock was settled in relation to a footprint told him much. With his eyes, he followed the point where Genis' footprints stopped and a larger shoe size took their place. The larger shoe led to the edge of the cliff. Suddenly, what happened up here became clear.

"Hey Kratos, we can't find Link either," Lloyd shouted from the entrance. "He might have left to... Colette, what's wrong?" Kratos turned and found Colette staring at him. She was pale as could be and trembling.

Lloyd ran in front of her. He grabbed her and shook her by the shoulders. The sudden motion knocked her out of the shocked state she was in. Lloyd looked into her eyes and asked, "Colette, tell me what's wrong?"

"It's Genis," she said, barely a whisper. "He's gone."

* * *

"I... I can't believe Genis is gone," said Colette. "I mean... he was there and then he was gone and... and..."

"Yeah, I..." Lloyd started. He didn't finish his sentence though.

Kratos could feel an uneasy silence fill the space between the two behind him. He ignored it though and focused on keeping an eye out for more enemies or monsters.

"What are we going to tell Professor Sage?" he heard Colette whisper. He wasn't supposed to hear it, he knew, but the hearing abilities afforded to him by his Cruxis Crystal were tenfold stronger than normal. He didn't hear a response from Lloyd. He assumed Lloyd either shrugged or didn't answer.

"We're here," he announced without fanfare. He stepped lightly onto the aerie flooring. It appeared as it did the last time, a few decades ago. A few more scattered floor tiles were missing. Sunlight poured in from the tall archways on one side of the building. The arches held up a dome overhead, in the center of which was a hole. Through the hole light shot out into space. The Oracle looked the same, at least.

"Good luck, Colette," Lloyd said quietly. She looked at him forlornly and traipsed forward. Toward the great circular altar in the center of the room she walked and stood waiting in front of. Upon the center of the altar sat Colette's Cruxis Crystal, which the angel Remiel would attach to her. Then she would become the Chosen of Regeneration officially. Then her transformation into an Angel would begin.

All this he expected to happen with the precision of clockwork, as it happened during every cycle of the Regeneration Journey. He stood with his arms crossed as he waited for Remiel to appear. His mouth fell open when the angel finally showed up. But it wasn't Remiel.

"Ahh, Chosen," Mithos said. He watched Mithos float above the platform and look about the room. Lloyd watched Mithos with a mixture of curiosity and awe. This was the first angel he'd seen after all.

"I am ready to receive the Oracle," Colette said solemnly.

Mithos looked down at Colette and grinned. What was he planning? Something was wrong. Mithos would never do this task himself. He distinctly recalled his former student calling it 'menial labor'.

"Aren't you anxious," Mithos asked. What was Mithos up to, he wondered. Colette shook her head in response to his question. "Very well," Mithos said, "let us get this over with."

Mithos held out his hand. The Cruxis Crystal lying in the middle of the altar rose into the air. It then floated toward Colette and attached itself below her neck, directly upon her collar bone.

"And now..." Mithos jumped out of the air and landed behind Colette. With a quick smack to the head, Colette was unconscious. Mithos grabbed her and lifted back into the air. "...it's time to enact my plan."

"Colette!" Lloyd dashed forward. He unsheathed his swords and attempted to slam himself into Mithos' back. The blow was nothing like the boy expected it to be. It looked to Kratos rather like a fly trying to push a rock. "Kratos help me!"

"You miserable insect."

Before Kratos could get close enough to pull Lloyd back, Mithos kicked him. He ducked as Lloyd sailed over his head. He unsheathed his sword and shield quickly. He would have to stop Lloyd before Mithos killed him.

"Foolish boy!" Mithos growled. Colette disappeared from his arms, replaced by the Eternal Sword. Every few seconds the space around the blade warped. It looked like it was burning, but there were no flames. "You will be the first to die!" Mithos dashed trough the air toward Lloyd and stabbed downward.

Lloyd was knocked onto his back from the blow. He quickly scrambled to his feet and checked himself for an injury, or blood for that matter. But as red as his outfit was, he couldn't find any blood. He realized why when he raised his eyes in time to see Mithos pull the Eternal Sword from Kratos' side. Blood dripped profusely from the fresh wound onto the floor where the mercenary dropped seconds later into unconsciousness.

"Wh-what is going on?!" said Lloyd. He scrambled to his feet and readied his swords. "Why did Kratos save me? Where's Colette?! Why is-"

"I tire of this," Mithos said. He held up the glowing Eternal Sword. "Eternal Sword, hear my word. Take me, all of Cruxis, the Desians, Derris Kharlan, the Great Seed, all who are loyal to me, and bring us to Hyrule."

Seconds after he finished speaking, Mithos vanished. Lloyd blinked. When he opened his eyes, Mithos was still gone. He blinked several more times to make sure he wasn't missing something. But Mithos remained gone no matter how many times he blinked. Eventually his eyes fell on Kratos, who lay in an ever growing pool of blood.

"He said that he was going to someplace called Hyrule," Lloyd said out loud, slowly. "He took Colette and tried to kill me. And then Kratos saved me instead of Colette." The ground suddenly started shaking. The sunlight filtering in through the arches started flickering like a candle. "Whoa! We better get out of here before this place comes down on top of us."

Lloyd ran quickly to the face down mercenary. He pulled the taller man's arm around his shoulder and lifted. Then he looked up toward the exit and noted how far away it appeared.

"Hold on Kratos," he said and took the first step.

* * *

**Well, there you have Chapter 5. I know it's been a while since I updated. I blame the winter break. For a supposed break, I was actually pretty busy. Still, I finally managed to finish Chapter 7 and today I finished revising Chapter 5. Now I'll go back and revise the first five chapters and update each chapter. It shouldn't take long since I've got specific changes to make. Thanks for reading.**

**~I.K.A. Valian  
**

Namco Bandai owns the Tales of series. Nintendo owns the Legend of Zelda series. I own the plot and any original characters you may happen upon in this original work.

* * *

Posted 1/12/09

Update 2/2/09: Revised the first scene, overhauled the second scene, and took out the third scene. Honesly, I pretty much explain what I wanted to explain in later chapters and in a much better way. I apologize for the new shortness of the chapter.


	6. VI Chapter Six

Legend!

The Forgotten Hero and the Eternal Swordsman

By I.K.A. Valian

* * *

_**Chapter Six: The Paradox Seed**_

_**

* * *

**_**Pull It Together**

Botta stood in front of a desk. The wooden surface reflected just enough light that it appeared to glow. The man that sat behind the desk tapped his fingers on the desk's wooden surface idly.

"So…" said Yuan. The pitch of his voice was low. "The operation to kill the Chosen in Iselia was a failure."

He nodded. "Yes, we captured a doppelganger and then Lord Kratos showed up, which made the task impossible to carry out at that time."

"I see." Yuan stood up, his blue hair swayed so that he had to brush it from his face. "We'll just have to wait until the next opportune moment to kill the Chosen. Our next chance should be when they're resting in Triet before opening the Fire Seal. Order the men to look for another opportunity regardless."

"As you wish." He bowed and turned to leave.

"Oh, and Botta."

He stopped and turned around. Yuan opened his mouth to speak and then the room around them started to shake. Several pictures mounted on the wall fell. The glass panes inside the frames shattered with a loud crunch. Some of the objects sitting on Yuan's desk danced to the edge and fell to the carpeted floor.

Both he and Yuan were out the door immediately. By now he was sure anyone who was sensitive to magic felt it. The Mana in the world had, at the same time as the earthquake, jumped off of a cliff.

They ran down the shaking steel corridors as quickly as they could. Though hardened by years of battle and spry enough to outmaneuver a deer, even Yuan was having trouble staying on his feet. Nonetheless, they both made it to the command center of the base quite quickly.

"Report!" Yuan shouted as soon as he entered the room, whose occupants appeared rattled. The lights above flickered wildly after Yuan spoke. Both he and Yuan glanced upwards curiously and then back at the staff in the room.

"Sirs, I'm receiving base-wide reports of power failure," reported the tall, but not large Jestin Beask from behind the communication's console.

"That's impossible," Botta said. He quickly moved behind an open computer console and started typing. "This facility is powered by a solar power supply. That's backed up by an emergency Mana reactor if the batteries die. It's a fail safe system."

"The batteries are dead," said the voluptuous Shelcy Persis at the main computer control console. Her fingers tapped away on the keyboard in front of her, the endless series of clicks and clacks almost musical in nature. "So is the Mana Reactor." She paused and the musical finger tapping fell quiet. "I… I've never seen… The reading has started to corrupt from the power fluctuations, but… power is being sucked out of the batteries through the reactor."

"That _is_ impossible," Yuan said this time. "The power lines don't even run that way. Get Hughes down to look at the reactor ASAP."

"No!" shouted a man from the corner of the room. Both he and Lord Yuan turned to diminutive Williams as he continued his verbosity. "No, I want you to check every single one by hand and then tell me. Don't tell me it looks like they're all broken. Tell me if they are or aren't! Don't give me any of your excuses, just do it!"

Williams practically smashed his hand com into the wall when he turned it off. Without breathing or calming down he turned to Botta and Yuan with a surprisingly guilty look.

"Lord Yuan, Lord Botta. My men _think_ all the new Exspheres are shattered."

"How?" asked Yuan.

"Not sure, they haven't _looked_ into it yet. I app-"

"No," said Yuan, he shook his head and his face hardening as he thought something over, "don't worry about it."

"But, Lord Yu-"

"I said don't worry about it," Yuan replied. "I have a feeling I know what happened."

"My Lord?" he asked.

"Quickly, before the power goes out completely, activate the experimental tri-reactor," Yuan ordered. "Let us hope it is not too late."

"But that thing hasn't been tested ye-" Shelcy protested. Lord Yuan cut her off with a hard glare.

"Do it, that's an order," Yuan said with a slight edge. "Jestin, warn Hughes and send out a base wide alert. Williams, tell your officers to head to the exits and to prepare for a possible fire emergency evac."

The officers didn't need to be told twice. The constant shakes were a constant reminder of the situation they found themselves in, so they quickly got to work. Shelcy nervously clamped her teeth down on her tongue as she worked her way through a bugged up computer interface. Williams got back onto his hand com and started shouting orders into it. Jestin fired off a quick message to the aforementioned Hughes and then got to work setting up the base wide alert.

"This is Captain Jestin with a base wide alert," Jestin said into the mouthpiece of his headset, "Lord Yuan has ordered the activation of the Delta Experiment. Prepare to evacuate should the worst happen."

"Do you suspect there will be a fire, Lord Yuan?" Botta asked. Yuan shook his head and remained still. He knew that Lord Yuan was worried though, from the crease lines that appeared under the man's weary eyes.

* * *

The message to Hughes traveled through the miles of wire at the speed of light. It popped up with a ding seconds after it was sent on a console in the back of a deeply shadowed room lit only be a dim red light. A grungy man, who hadn't shaved in days, and wore a dirty gray-blue jumpsuit, dropped to the ground from a hole in the ceiling above the console.

He cursed loudly after reading the message and flipped a switch on the wall next to him. The red light immediately went out and a white floodlight filled the room up nice and brightly. He blinked a few times before he quickly jogged to the holographic console in the center of the spherical white room.

He managed to enter three commands before the red light flashed twice and a siren's wail filled the chamber. He rolled his eyes and continued to type. A digital clock with red numbers appeared on the far curved wall behind the holographic display reading and counting down from sixty.

"Why isn't it reading 'ready'?!" He shouted to no one. The siren was beginning to grate on his nerves. "Where's the break in the connection. Aha!"

Hughes stopped typing when the clock reached thirty seconds, ran to the other side of the room, and wrenched open one of the stark white wall panels. A large cable inside dangled loosely, unconnected from its mate, which had fallen behind the panel below.

He cursed again as he shoved his arm down into where the mate of the dangling cable should be sitting. His fingers could barely graze its cool metal surface. He cursed again and again as his fingers slipped past the fallen cable.

The clock reached five seconds and the computer let out a ding. The flashing red light turned into a flashing blue light and Jestin's warning sounded. He cursed and with a monumental heave, he shoved his shoulder into the wall with all his strength. The wall panel groaned as it bent from the pressure.

The clock reached zero and a buzzer sounded once. The blue light turned green and a low hum started resonating through the air, walls, ceiling, and floor. Hughes let out a deep breath, having avoided a certain death by milliseconds. He closed the wall panel with a sigh of relief. He twisted his arm back and forth, stretching it. He emitted a soft grunt as he did so.

Hughes walked back to the holographic computer console and typed in one more command. The screen was quickly replaced with an image of a black triangle surrounded by glowing yellow energy. The energy was absorbed into a series of rings that spun around it so quickly they were impossible to follow. The only thing he could compare it to was a gyroscope.

He studied the power output of the reactor in a fluctuating energy signature window next to the video image. With another sigh and a wry, satisfied grunt, he heaved his shoulders and then slumped into a seat.

"Hughes?" The engineer looked up at the speaker panel on the wall. He didn't want to get up just to answer, not after the monumental effort he just put out. So instead he materialized an immaculate wing covered in white feathers from behind his left shoulder. He stretched the new appendage out to its full length, and slapped the ON button for the wall com.

"You know I almost got fried by that thing?" he asked. "You could have at least given me some warning."

"You said it was complete," Yuan said. "You said it was all good to go any time I wanted and that nothing was going to stop it when I chose to activate it." Hughes groaned and shook his head, deciding to drop the complaint.

"Yeah, yeah, anytime you wanted boss," he said and quickly changed the subject. "Right now the power output is fluctuating. But I think with a bit of work I can get it to within tolerances for most of the time."

"Just do the best you can, Hughes." He was about to close the line with another slap of his wing when Yuan spoke again. "Before you fall asleep, some of the lights exploded, so maybe you could fix that fluctuating before you fall asleep. And fix the lights while you're at it."

"On it boss," Hughes said. Botta shook his head at the unenthusiastic attitude of Hughes.

"Lord Yuan," Jestin said as he closed the com line between the command room and the tri-reactor station, "do you know what's going on? The quakes have started to slow, but what caused them? And what was that strange Mana fluctuation? It felt like someone was casting an Earth-based spell on the whole planet."

Yuan nodded, but instead of explaining, he said, "Open the shielding." Shelcy turned to her left and palmed a hand print reader next to the computer console she was in front of. When she looked up, she gasped.

"What in the name of Origin…"

"Where did the sun go?!" Shelcy cried. Outside, the only thing visible was a darkened desert and the stars, and even they were dim.

"It's nearly ten in the morning," said Botta, unable to grasp what his eyes were seeing. "The sun should be blinding us right now."

"Could it be that Lord Yggdrasil used the Eternal Sword to shift time?" Shelcy asked.

"At first, I thought it was something along those lines, yes," said Yuan. He slowly walked toward the glass window. His eyes never left the darkness beyond. "But…"

Botta's eyes widened as all the pieces fell in place. He looked to Yuan, who nodded. "The historical records say that when Yggdrasil first split the world in two, something similar was reported to have happened to the world," Botta explained. "Of course, he used the Eternal Sword to set up the Mana Vying system with the Great Seed and the Mana from Derris Kharlan, but it is said that for a short while, the entire world shook and was bathed in darkness. According to our database, this darkness is what happened to the world back when the Great Kharlan Tree died."

"Then… that means something has happened to the Great Seed," said Williams. He clenched his fist. "We must get it back before anything dire happens to it or to the worlds. Otherwise all we've fought for; equality, peace, a united world, all of that will have all been for nothing!"

"Agreed," Yuan said, broken from his reverie. "But now isn't the time to panic. This situation wasn't entirely unforeseen. I'm going up to Derris Kharlan. I must retrieve a device that was made for just such an occasion. Botta, you're in charge."

"I'll accompany you to the teleport," said Botta. Yuan turned to leave the command center, Botta hot on his heels, when Jestin coughed rather loudly. Yuan and Botta stopped. Then they turned and looked at him questioningly.

"The Derris Emblem beacon is no longer transmitting," he said. "In the chaos of everything that happened, it got all glitchy and then disappeared. I didn't put much into it because I thought the transmitter on the base was damaged. But I've rechecked and the transmitter is fine. Derris Kharlan is definitely gone, sir."

"Ping it," said Shelcy.

Jestin turned and frowned at her. "I did! I set up a constant ping command. For the last five minutes, nothing but empty silence."

Yuan sighed and massaged his temples with one hand.

"Shelcy, work with Hughes and fine tune the power coming out of the reactor," ordered Yuan. "I want to be able to use the computers without them blowing up in my face. Jestin, see if you can contact Tethe'alla Base and order them to send over the Summoner and then to go into lock down status until we contact them again. Without the sun, they're as good as powerless in a few hours anyway. Williams, have your men assess the situation and get me a status report on what's happening inside the base and outside. Botta," Yuan turned to his second in command, "take over here, and try and find out what happened to Derris Kharlan. Their communications might have been knocked out by a power surge. I'll see if I can pull up a back up copy of the schematics needed to build the device." Yuan looked back out of the front window; deep into the thickening darkness. "There's too many things happening at once and we don't know anything. Get to it."

Botta nodded and watched Yuan leave before he turned around and started giving orders. Yuan walked slowly down the hall. He ignored the crunching glass and squeaking light bulb components that passed beneath his boot's heel. His expression never changed as he slowly marched, as if he never saw the broken bulbs to begin with.

* * *

**A Terror in the Dark**

He hadn't been able to find anything, even after Shelcy and Hughes got his computer to work again, so he would have to rebuild the device from memory. He looked up from his computer screen when he heard a knock come from his door. He reached over and pressed the _open_ button on his desk.

Williams walk in and salute him briskly. He'd been looking forward to this report to take his mind off of the frustration that dwelled in him. And there was a certain smell of smoke he couldn't find the source of. The way Williams looked, the report would be the perfect distraction from all that.

"Lord Yuan," Williams began. "I contacted all the teams we had in the field. Tethe'alla has informed us that all their teams have been recalled to the base and are safe for the moment. Here on Sylvarant, we've ordered all fourteen teams to return to base as soon as possible. There are also three teams in base that have been accounted for. The spies we had inside the Desians and Cruxis, the ones planet side anyway, have reported in saying all the Desians and Angels have disappeared. Last I checked, Jestin hadn't been able to re-establish contact with Derris Kharlan, so I've been unable to get any information about the spies that were planted there."

He waited for Williams to continue, idly fingering the edge of his cape as he listened. When Williams remained silent, he glanced at the hard boiled human and found a rather large amount of unnatural emotion. Before he could ask, Williams continued.

"That was two hours ago," Williams continued. "Since then four of our deployed teams have stopped answering our hails, five teams managed to return, four teams are still in transit, and one team reported having lost a man and holed up in Luin to escape insanely strong monsters that were running amok in the fields outside of the town. Also, since most of the sensors are down, we've men stationed on top of the base with binoculars, keeping a look out." Williams paused again to breath. "They just reported that a hoard of desert monsters led by some monstrosity that was not logged in the monster codex was headed toward Triet. From what they could tell, the monsters were rabid."

"What about the Summoner?" he asked. "Has the Tethe'alla base teleported her over yet?"

"No," said Williams. "They're having trouble locking onto Sylvarant's space-time signature since the loss of power over there has forced them to shut down most of their systems. They're currently operating on twenty percent power, or so they say."

"Lord Yuan." He shifted his attention as Botta entered his office. "Monsters have started to attack the base. They're rabid and giving our men trouble."

"Dammit," growled Williams. The man looked at him and he nodded, giving the head of security permission to leave. When Williams was out of the room, he turned his attention back to Botta.

"What of Derris Kharlan, any news?" he asked.

Botta shook his head, dismay causing his features to shift. "We have been unable to reacquire the signal from the Derris Emblem. When we used a physical lens to check on its status, we couldn't even find the comet. Shelcy and Jestin were able to re-establish a connection with the live feed camera we placed in the Great Seed's chamber. Just like Derris Kharlan, it was gone."

"I see," he murmured. "I suppose Yggdrasil finally lost it and left us to die. It doesn't matter. Now that we know the reason for our current catastrophe, we can solve it."

Botta's eyebrows shot up, to which he smirked. "I'll explain later," he said. "For now, I want you to take two teams of men and head to Triet. If the town is lost, bring everyone you can save back to the base and house them in the new hanger bay."

"Yes, my lord," said Botta with a dip of his head. His subordinate turned to leave when a thought struck him.

"Botta, wait." Botta turned and watched him stand up behind his desk. He shifted his cape and walked quickly from his office. Botta fell into step behind him, still waiting for him to continue. "Make sure the men ditch the Desian uniforms," he said, "we don't need the people running from us and the monsters. And use the new ground based vehicles."

"I assume I am to charge them off of the Tri-reactor," said Botta. "Very well then, Hagifell hasn't named them yet, what are we to call them?"

He thought for two seconds and said, "Rheound is good, don't need to be anything fancy. I'm going to see the old man now. See you when you get back."

Botta and he split up at the next hall junction. He noticed the sparkling new lights above him as he strode down the hall toward the command center. His hand com buzzed just as the door slid open to allow him access. Lifted his wrist to his mouth and kept walking.

"Report," he said into the microphone.

"This is Williams," the human said through a wall of static. In the background he heard loud bangs and rattles. "The monsters are rabid and several of my men have been injured. However, the walls of the base seem to be able to keep the beasts at bay so we've barricaded the personnel entrance and locked the door. I don't think it will hold them for long. Requesting permission to activate the perimeter defense system."

He stopped, in the middle of the control room. Shelcy glanced warily at him. Before he could even ask she shook her head vigorously.

"Not yet," he replied to Williams. "The system hasn't been adjusted for the Tri-reactor. Coordinate with Hughes and Shelcy to get it working."

"On it, sir." The com died out and he turned to his elven system's operator.

"How's she holding up?" he asked. He tilted his head toward the console in front of her.

Shelcy took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Jestin in the seat next to her rolled his eyes and continued working at his station.

"She seems to have caught a bug of some kind. I think it's a glitch from the near power outage. I'd hard restart the system, but that would require a twenty minute down time, which isn't an option. The glitch, however, isn't interfering with system operation. It just seems to be rewording all the emergency reports that are flooding in from around the base. I've been going by eye-reports for damage records. For instance," she paused and entered several commands. "This report should say that there is a water main leak in the main C-9 hallway, instead it says 'The chicken crossed a bridge in his brother's pajamas.'"

Shelcy turned and gave him a strained look. Clearly, she was begging for help of some kind. He shook his head and turned to Jestin, who tapped on his shoulder.

"The sensor array fell over, according to the reports from Hughes' damage control team, so we're flying blind. The air scrubbers are working at fifty percent efficiency because half the blower fans' circuit boards were fried by the power surge."

"That would explain the smoke I smelled in my office," he said. Jestin gave him an odd look. He shook his head motioned for him to continue.

"The lookouts that Lord Botta ordered to the roof have reported a massive drop in temperature, about forty degrees in twelve minutes. And finally, Tethe'alla Base has contacted us to say that after the teleportation, they're sticking everyone into stasis pods until we can repower the base, since life support there is near zero. The stasis pods should be able to last for a couple weeks on the power they have remaining."

He nodded. "Are they ready to send over the Summoner?"

"Hagifell reported from the teleport room ten minutes ago that the device was almost fully charged. He said he straightened out the targeting problems and would be ready to go in a few minutes."

**

* * *

The Summoner Cometh**

"Alright, get the supplies onto the telepad so I can begin the countdown."

Sheena watched two men in red tinted uniforms rush a bunch of carts loaded with crates onto a large round mat. When the telepad was loaded up with supplies headed for Sylvarant, the men rushed off the pad as if Shadow himself were chasing them.

"Alright, let's get started," said the teleport operator. "Teleportation in fifteen seconds."

"You know, quite a lot of people could fit onto that thing, I wonder why they're not evacuating as many people as they can." She glanced to her right at the tall man who spoke. His long, red hair and pink outfit distinguished him from the dark surroundings of the mostly shut down base. Half the lights were out and the rest were dimmed dramatically, to the point she could barely see.

"I asked already," she said as she watched the crates piled onto the telepad fade from existence. The lights flickered as they disappeared but the dull glow evened out again once the process was completed.

"Supplies away," said the operator, "prepare the next batch."

"And…" her companion prompted. She was about to respond when her sixth sense tingled. Reacting on a mixture of instinct and training, she grabbed her companion's wrist in a flash and pushed her thumb into the tendons causing him to gasp in pain.

"Zelos, the world is falling apart and you're trying to feel me up?!"

"I'm sorry," he said through strained teeth. "Please let my hand go."

She snorted and tossed his hand into his face and took a step farther away from him. As she shook her head the next batch of supplies was teleported to Sylvarant.

She counted the remaining boxes that were to be sent before she was. Honestly she'd never been more scared in her life. But she wouldn't show any of that fear, let alone to Zelos.

"Thank you Sheena," Zelos said and he rubbed and twisted his wrist around. "You could have taken my arm off. What would I have done without my arm? I would become an armless Chosen! What would I have done then? None of the girls would even look at me anymore."

"That would probably do you a world of good," she said.

"I'm hurt." She could almost feel Zelos' fake pout. "Anyway, Hunny, what did they say about saving everyone here?"

"I'm not sure why I asked you here," she muttered. "And I'm not your hunny." Zelos didn't say anything. She paused before she answered his original question. "They said that they didn't have enough power to teleport more than one human and several loads of supplies. They're on their last leg as it is."

"I've noticed," said Zelos. "So what will you do once you arrive in the fabled land of Sylvarant? Don't forget to think about little old me from time to time."

She couldn't stop a smirk from forming. In his own way, Zelos was trying to cheer her up. He must have picked up on her feelings somehow.

She was berating herself internally about being a better ninja when there was a tap on her shoulder. She turned and the man that did so nodded. It was time.

"This is it," she said. She took a deep breath, then let it out and followed the man away from Zelos and the telepad.

"Good luck," she heard Zelos say. She would have nodded, but she doubted that he would have been able to see it. In the end she remained silent.

The man led her to an open door where he stopped and motioned for her to continue. Inside the room was a screen that listed all the things she was supposed to do in case of a power failure, among other dire warnings that made her constitution weak.

"Whenever you're ready, Ms. Fujibayashi," said the man who led her here.

"I'm ready," she said. It was now or never anyway. If there was a chance to save Tethe'alla and she had a part in it, she would give her all to get it done. Steeling her nerves, she followed the man from the room back to the telepad.

As she stepped onto the telepad, a dire foreboding traveled up from the soles of her lavender boot, through her spine, and into her mind. Something was wrong.

She turned around; scanning for something she wasn't sure was there. There was Zelos; he looked like he was giving her a look as if to ask what was wrong. Aside from him there was the man who was her escort, the Teleportation operator, and the two men who were loading material onto the teleport.

"Would you please hurry up," said the operator, "we only have a fifteen minute window left before we have to shut down. You need to be in Sylvarant yesterday."

"Something's wrong," she said. "Something feels wrong."

"What is it?" asked Zelos.

"I'm not sure," she said, frowning.

"Hurry up, hurry up!" the operator repeated. "I'm starting the countdown. Fifteen seconds. Hey, what the- Augh!"

She was halfway into the middle of the telepad when the operator cried out. She whirled around to find that a man with a sword just ran the operator through. The dead operator fell to the ground when the assassin, one of the grunts moving equipment onto the telepad moments before, turned to her.

The computer was emitting little beeps as every second of the countdown passed. Five beeps had already passed and the grunt with the sword was advancing on her. The grunt's companion used a staff to duel it out with Zelos. She noticed the man who was guiding her unconscious on the floor.

"You're next girly," said the assassin. He whipped his sword as in a failed attempt to intimidate her. She went to move into a fighting stance, but found herself unable to move her feet. The floor had somehow stuck to her boots like quick drying glue. "What's the matter," said the assassin advancing on her, "can't move? Hahahahahaha!"

"What did you do?!" she demanded. She pulled several Mana cards designed for fighting from her back pouch, hidden underneath her large pink obi. Mana was instantly drawn from her body to make the cards razor sharp and hard as steel.

"I covered the floor with a special substance while I and my partner were loading up the bombs that were being sent to Sylvarant. There is no Sylvarant base anymore. And soon there won't be you anymore. Prepare to die!"

The man raised his sword to strike. She threw a card. The blow from her card managed to throw his strike off. She used a Guardian Seal to prevent him from actually hitting anywhere near her. The moment her seal dissipated though, the assassin backhanded her and she dropped all her cards.

"Stupid Mizuho Whore!"

"Sheena!" Both she and the assassin turned toward Zelos. Zelos sprinted from the now dead staff wielder toward the telepad. He launched himself into the air and tackled the assassin. Both Zelos and the assassin hit the ground just as the fifteenth beep sounded. All three of them faded from the telepad as the device activated.

According to the readout, she would have been in a pocket dimension while she was transported through a rip in space and time to Sylvarant. However, because there were three of them, the pocket dimension failed to materialize. They were all sent hurtling through a vortex of blackness.

Where as before she couldn't move, now she was being sucked into the epicenter of a black hole. She felt like she was being stretched out and squished at the same time. She could feel her fingers reaching where her knees should be and she could feel her knees where her feet should be. The sensations were so wild and out of place that it felt like her heart was about to stop from shock or simply explode inside her chest.

She dimly remembered through the insanity that the computer warned her that if this scenario should happen, she was to press her emergency return beacon. Had she the presence of mind she normally had, she would have realized that she was never given an emergency return beacon.

At the very last moment when she was sure she was going to die, and coincidentally right as she was sucked into the center of the vortex, everything stopped. She stood in the center of a brightly lit room with a telepad beneath her feet identical to the one she was just standing on.

Zelos wrestled with the assassin on the ground next to her. She immediately jumped away. She retrieved the cards she dropped and prepared to help Zelos defeat the assassin. The two men rolled around on the floor, fighting to stab the other first.

The assassin managed to get his foot in between himself and Zelos and pushed the larger man off of him. She was about to whip a Mana card at the assassin before he could get up when a pop sounded over head. She looked up and watched a component of the teleportation device erupted in a shower of sparks and detached from the ceiling. It quickly quieted the assassin's scream when it landed on his head.

Stunned, but grateful to have survived the ordeal, she put her cards away and turned to Zelos. Her companion appeared no worse for the wear, though a few hairs were sticking out here and there.

Zelos looked at the corpse of the assassin for a few seconds and then sheathed his swords. "He must have had a pressing engagement with the Goddess Martel," he said jokingly.

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. The door hissed open and a man with blue hair entered the chamber.

He arched a blue eyebrow. The newcomer first looked at the dead man on the floor. Then he looked at the grinning-like-an-idiot chosen.

Yuan raised his gloved hand and rubbed his temples again. "There goes our teleporter," he said. Yuan turned, his shoulder hunched, and silently walked out.

* * *

**And there is chapter six. I apologize for the long wait. It was for a good cause, I assure you. With the help of _Canada Cowboy_, I've revised all of the first five chapters. They're much better now than they were before. And I did change them quite a bit, so you might want to go back and skim over them. You don't really have to, but the sudden characteristic change in Link might surprise you. Since I already have CC's comments and thoughts on those revisions, I would like to know what other people think. And if you think I can improve them, let me know. Thanks for reading!**

**~I.K.A. Valian**

**

* * *

**Posted 2/4/09


	7. VII Chapter Seven

Legend!

The Forgotten Hero and the Eternal Swordsman

By I.K.A. Valian

* * *

_**Chapter Seven: Remnants Gather

* * *

**_

**Disaster in Palmacosta**

"The Governor-General's Mansion was where it all started."

"Did you hear what happened?"

"Oh my, who hasn't heard by now?"

"Who knew his wife was down there, and that she looked like that?"

"They say she went on a rampage when the earthquakes started and that she killed half the army before they were able to stop her. She even killed the Governor-General when he tried to stop one of the soldiers from killing her. Such a shame that a wonderful person like Clara was turned into a monster."

"It's all because of those Desians! They're the ones that did this!"

"Yeah! Damn those Desians for this."

"I wonder what's going to happen to the Governor-General's daughter, Kilia."

"I heard she died too… Oh look, Neil's coming out of the Governor-General's mansion! Neil, oh Neil!"

Neil, a young man of barely twenty-five, stopped just in front of the small group of people gathered around the front of the Governor-General's mansion which was situated in the exact center of Palmacosta. He ran his fingers nervously through the deep blue locks that hung from his head and cleared his throat as several of the soldiers raised their lanterns to brighten the area.

"I'm deeply pained to tell the citizens of Palmacosta that…" Neil paused. "…that Governor-General Dorr is dead." Several gasps erupted from the crowd. Even though they speculated as much had happened, it was still shocking to actually hear. "He was killed by a support beam when it fell after a monster went on a rampage. The monster turned out to be Clara Dorr, General-Governor Dorr's wife, who was transformed by the Demon Seed implanted into her by the Desians. When she was mortally wounded by our soldiers, she regained her senses long enough to… to hold up a portion of the ceiling before it collapsed on some of our men. She died shortly after that when two floors of the mansion fell upon her. As of right now, Kilia Dorr is safe."

Neil paused and let the silence hang over everyone's head like a cleaver held by single strand of hair. The small gathering of people, possibly like Neil was doing himself, held up their stoic faces in the dull lamp glow. Lips trembling and arms shaking, Neil opened his mouth to go on speaking.

"In light of everything that's happened, the earthquake, the sun-death, and the increase of monsters, I, Lieutenant Governor-General Neil Liamond am assuming command of the Palmacosta Government and Military. I am instituting a draft of all men and boys thirteen and older for the common defense of Palmacosta. I ask that everyone else support our men and our city in any way they can as we organize the defenses and coordination of supplies.

"This is a dangerous time. We are cut off from anything familiar. But we can pull through if only we stick together and work toward our common safety and prosperity. It won't be easy and we've all got something that needs to be done. It was with the establishment of the Palmacosta Militia that we gained any semblance of hope. For the first time in a generation, we pushed the Desians back. It's that spirit of unbending will that we need to harness now. I'm counting on everyone to help keep Palmacosta safe. Good luck."

Neil turned and walked back into the mansion. When the doors finally clicked shut he collapsed into himself and nearly fell to the floor. One of the soldiers near him caught his arm and held him up.

"That was a good speech, Lieutenant Governor-General," the soldier said. "Made me want to go out there and kill some monsters."

"Thank you for your confidence," he said, "But that had to be the hardest thing I've ever done." He took several more minutes to calm down before he continued to the ad hoc war room. The original war room was destroyed when it fell two stories onto Clara in the basement.

As soon as he walked into the war room, two men stood up straight-backed and saluted, while the third occupant, a woman in a blue-green cloak, merely nodded in his direction. He nodded back to all three of them and walked around the large table in the center of the room.

Laid out on the table was a large map of the surrounding area. Thoda Dock, Hakonesia Peak, the Palmacosta Human Ranch, and the city of Palmacosta were all clearly marked. Neil put his two hands flat onto the map and leaned on the table.

"What's the current condition of the city and our militia?" he asked. "And are the soldiers at the gate to the mainland able to hold off the monsters? The last thing we need is a repeat of what happened in here on a city wide basis." He turned to the man on his right. "General, your report first, if you would."

"As you said in your speech, Lieutenant Governor-General, we are in a dark time. Our men at the entrance to the land bridge are currently holding their position. Colonel Spatz can testify more knowledgably on the situation there than I can. Governor-General Dorr was able to procure a five month food supply for us should a situation like this occur, though I doubt he envisioned a situation as bad as this. Weapons don't seem to be a problem at the moment, since the local smith and customizer have been helping to refurbish used and broken equipment. Fuel for fire might be a problem, considering we go through a fair amount of firewood and coal on a daily basis. The men are-"

"Would you quit droning on like a text book? My ears are bleeding," said the woman in the cloak.

General Quartez stared at her long and hard, his upper lip trembling as the light reflected off of his bald head. With a sneer at the woman, he said, "The men are going to burn through supplies quickly, especially now that a draft has been put in place. We will need to go out and retrieve more raw materials for weapons and food. Fish seem to be plentiful enough, but our fishermen will need protection from the water monsters. That's all," he finished. He continued to glare at the woman across the table from him. She gazed lazily back at him, taunting the General with her nonchalance.

"Fey," said Neil, "What have you to report."

"Not much," Fey said as she continued to gaze at the General. He didn't seem to be paying her as much mind now, thinly disguising his contempt. "All I can say for sure," she continued, "is that we're strategically placed to hold off invasions from the land. The sea on the other hand presents a problem. And I'm curious about the Desians. I would be able to learn a great deal more of what they're up to if I were able to have a look at their base by the Thoda Dock."

"That's out of the question," said the Colonel Spatz, who stood across the table from Neil. He put his hand down on the map and dragged an imaginary line between Palmacosta and the Thoda Dock with his pointer finger. "Do you see how far you'd have to travel? In pitch black darkness? We don't have enough men to spare to get you there and back safely without compromising the city. The men at the end of the land bridge are doing well enough for the time being. But there are monsters out there that are a couple times stronger than what we're used to dealing with. It would be impossible to leave the city at this time without strengthening our forces. If Governor-General Dorr had a weakness, it was the strength of the Militia."

"Colonel Spatz," roared General Quartez, "You will not take the name of a Hero to the people of Palmacosta while in my presence. Do you hear me?!"

"General!" The room fell silent. The tall, balding wall of a man turned to Neil. He looked down at him with eyes burning like coals in a fire. "General," Neil repeated in a softer voice. It was a voice that left no room for argument. "We don't have time to argue about whom did what right or wrong in the past. It would spell the doom of Palmacosta if we were to fall apart now." He turned and looked at Spatz and Fey and continued. "It doesn't matter if you like each other. It doesn't matter if you want to rip each other's throats out. We are all in this together and we will all die together unless we all pull together. Got it?" He looked at each of the leaders at the table in turn questioningly. Receiving no dissent, he nodded. "Good.

"Now, as the General said, we'll be running out of supplies fast with the new recruits. Even if we ration it out, the numbers don't look good. We have five days, max. That is why I want you, General, to put together a crack team that will go out into the fields. Their first target will be to rescue anyone still alive at Hakonesia peak. They will then work their way back here, checking out the House of Salvation, and the Thoda Dock as they go. I realize it will be a difficult task, given the situation, but we need to save anyone we can. The team's second task will be to find out if the Desians are still in the Human Ranch. My guess would be that they aren't."

"What makes you think that?" asked Fey. She arched an eyebrow curiously.

"It's… just a hunch I have," he replied. "Should they find the ranch abandoned, they are to gather what supplies they can carry back with them and return to the city. Understood?"

"Yes, Lieutenant Governor-General." General Quartez saluted and then walked from the room. Neil followed him with his eyes, and when the imposing bald man was gone, he looked back at Spatz.

"I want you to build a perimeter wall on the main land if you can. Use bricks from the city. Have the masons pitch in. I want a semi-circle wall around the entrance to the city so that we have some room to work in." He traced his finger in a semi-circle on the map where the land met with the marker for Palmacosta. Spatz nodded and left the room quickly. Fey gazed at him lethargically and blinked a few times.

"Fey, I think you know where you're going."

A feral grin split her lips and she nearly leaped from the chair she was in. Neil constantly wondered where she received such energy from, since it was clear she was no active person any time other than when she faced the prospect of danger. He watched her happily prance from the room to follow after the General and let out a deep sigh when he was sure that he was alone.

"There's so much to do," he mumbled to himself.

* * *

**He Who Destroyed the World**

The earthquakes and the sudden drenching darkness that befell the world would normally have scared Link shitless. He knew this to be true because he felt the fear in the pit of his stomach. But for some reason, he felt numb. It wasn't the kind of numbness that was in his hand.

It was the kind of numbness that soldiers talked about at the city gate. Talk of men who wandered the battle fields with empty looks in their eyes, shocked senseless by the abhorrent amount of violence they were made to witness. Link never in his life thought he'd feel this way.

He knew that Zelda and Genis were giving him looks every now and again. He could almost feel their scorn for having touched the black Triforce as their gazes passed over him. He didn't mind though, he had touched the black Triforce and released the monster that destroyed the world. He might as well have destroyed the world himself. If anything, the scorn he just knew that Zelda and Genis had for him paled in comparison for the disgust he had of himself.

"Hey, look, it's Iselia!" Genis shouted. He jogged forward into the darkened village and stopped short. "Hello! Anyone here?!" Genis shouted.

"There doesn't appear to be anyone here," Zelda said. "Perhaps the villagers fled during the Earthquakes."

"But where would they go?" Genis asked. "Oh, I know, maybe they're hiding in the school. Let's go look inside!"

Link followed Genis and Zelda as they made their way toward the school. Flashes of the town's layout appeared in Links' mind, but since Lloyd had practically dragged him through the place, he hadn't had a chance to take in any of the town. As it was, he only knew where Zelda and Genis were because of the sounds their feet were making on the ground.

"I found the door," Genis said. Link walked in Genis' direction and was suddenly blinded when the door opened and light poured upon them.

"Genis!" Raine dropped the candle she was holding and practically threw herself at Genis. Link could tell that Genis didn't know how to react so he just stood there like a statue. The display of affection was quickly replaced by a physical search. Apparently satisfied, Raine stood and deftly smacked Genis upside the head.

"Sis, I'm sorry!" Genis yelped. _Smack_. "Ow! Sis! I said I was-" _Smack. "Ow!"_

Raine lowered her hand and turned to face first Zelda, and then Link. He lowered his gaze almost immediately. She looked pretty angry.

"I don't believe we've met," Raine said with short, quick words. She grabbed Genis and moved him so that she stood in front of him, almost like a hen protecting her chicks. "May I ask why my little brother was with you? And where's Lloyd and Colette? I was told all three of them left for the Temple together."

"Ow…" Genis moaned from behind his sister. Link almost felt sorry for him, but after suffering worse injuries, he knew for a fact that Genis would feel better eventually. Especially if his sister cared enough for him to be worried for him before she punished him.

"I am Zelda Ayalin Hyrule," the Princess said, curtsying. "I am the Princess of Hyrule and its territories. This is Link…" The princes paused and frowned. She looked at him questioningly and asked, "…Link, what is your last name?"

He looked back and forth between the questioning Zelda and the incredulous look he was being given by Raine. He swallowed loudly. "My name is Link Shigeru."

"Shigeru and Hyrule, hmm…" Raine mulled the names over.

"We were traveling with your brother, Miss Sage, because we just escaped from a collapsing cavern. When we escaped, we found ourselves stranded after the darkness fell. Genis suggested that perhaps Lloyd and Colette had returned to the village already. Fortunately, we ran into no monsters on our way back."

"A collapsing cavern?!" Raine burst out. She turned to Genis and advanced on him.

"Sis…" Genis said shakily, backing away from Raine. "It wasn't my fault. Some Desians threw us into a pit. We were separated from Lloyd and Colette, but somehow we survived the fall. Then we were attacked by a monster and we survived that too. Then the cavern started to collapse when Link touched the Black Triforce and-"

"So it was Link who made the cavern collapse?" Raine said. She rounded on Link. Link let out a strangled cry and hopped backwards.

"I'm sorry," he shouted, holding his hands above his head and cowering. The anger in Raine's face slowly drained away as she studied Link's form. "I didn't mean to touch it. I just felt... I-I had to touch it."

"Don't blame Link," Zelda said. She took a step and got in between Raine and Link. "He didn't know what would happen. None of us did. Any one of us could have touched that black Triforce so no one's to blame for that."

Raine closed her eyes and nodded. "You're right. So the cavern was collapsing. How did you get out? And what is this black Triforce?"

"We were teleported out right at the last second," Genis said. "The rocks were falling all around us. I think the black Triforce was booby trapped because something knocked Link back. And then the rocks from the ceiling started falling. Just before we were crushed, we appeared in the field just outside of the Martel Temple. And the black Triforce is... well, it's a black trangle."

"You didn't see what knocked me back?" Link asked.

"No." Zelda shook her head. Genis shook his head as well. "Why," Zelda asked, "did you see something?"

"I... uh, no," Link said, "I was just wondering what hit me, that's all. But..."

"What is it Link?" Genis asked.

"Um... it's nothing," Link said. He shoved the black Triforce in his palm up into his sleeve. Maybe the reason only he saw that black, one eyed cloud was because he was the only one to touch the black Triforce. Maybe what happened also happened cause he touched the black Triforce. If that was the case, then he couldn't let anyone else touch it or this place would fall apart faster.

Raine took Link's silence as an end to their explanations. She shook her head and rubbed her face with both hands. "It appears I am in you debt then, for looking after my little brother," Raine said after a moment. She bowed quickly. "I don't know what I would have done if I lost him. He's always getting into trouble, especially when Lloyd's around."

"Sis, Lloyd's not that bad," Genis said. "I'm more worried about what happened? Where did all the villagers go? How come you're the only one left, sis?"

"I was on my way back from the Martel Temple when the earthquake happened," Raine explained. "I decided at the time that it might be wiser to stay put until the ground stopped moving, but then the sky fell dark. I found this odd considering it was the middle of the day, but I took it as a sign to get someplace safe. When I finally made it back to the village, there was no one here. I was just done searching the school when I found you three."

"It would seem we have no way of knowing, then, what befell the villagers," Zelda said. "I do hope it wasn't something bad."

"I wonder what caused the earthquake," Genis said. "And what made the sky go dark? Wasn't it the middle of the day out when we went into the Temple to rescue Zelda?"

"I remember the sun being out," Link said. "And when we reappeared in the field it was still light out for several minutes. Then the earthquakes happened."

"Whatever caused this to happen, it had to be powerful to do so," Zelda said. "It might be a curse."

"Why would the Goddess abandon us?" Raine crossed her arms as she spoke her thoughts aloud. "Could we have been judged unworthy?"

"Hang on Kratos, we're almost there."

Raine stopped speaking when she heard Lloyd's voice. She retrieved her candle and walked off into the darkness. Genis and Zelda followed. Link, not wanting to be left alone in pitch darkness, fell into line. The mercenary nearly fell when Lloyd saw Genis and let go.

"Genis! You're alive!" Lloyd shouted. "The girl and Link too! How did you guys survive the fall?"

"Lloyd, help me sit down before you drop me," Kratos gasped. Blood seeped from a deep wound on his side. His clothes were stained red with the life fluid.

Link hesitated before he moved forward and helped Lloyd sit Kratos onto the ground. Raine eyed the mercenary before she turned to Lloyd. Before he could say anything, she whacked him loudly on the back of the head.

"What the-" Whack. "Ow!" Whack. "Professor Sage, stop hitting me!" Whack.

"Lloyd, where is Colette?" Genis asked as Lloyd rubbed the new knot growing on his head. "And what happened to Kratos?"

Lloyd suddenly got very quiet. His face tightened and his eyes narrowed. He looked back at Kratos for a moment and then face the two Sages.

"Some Angel took Colette when she received the Oracle," he said darkly. "Then he tried to kill me, but Kratos knocked me out of the way and took the blow. The Angel said something about going to someplace called Hyrule. After that, he disappeared with Colette. Then the ground started moving and the ceiling started falling. I barely managed to get Kratos out." Lloyd glanced at the mercenary in wonder. "He saved my life by taking a blow that could cleave a rock in half. And he's still alive!"

"So," Raine said, "it's true. The goddess Martel has abandoned us. Even her angels have turned against our land and taken the Chosen."

"It is not what was supposed to happen," said Kratos. He stood up, suddenly, the pain he was evidently experiencing before gone. Or mostly gone, Link thought. He could still see Kratos favoring his side with a hand that glowed green. He wasn't sure what it was Kratos was doing, but he was moving under his own power when before he could barely stand. "The Chosen was supposed to receive the oracle and then be sent to the Triet Desert, where the Seal of Fire is."

"What makes you say that?" Raine asked. "Phaidra told me about you, Kratos the Mercenary. She said that you were to protect the Chosen from monsters. It appears you failed."

"Even I did not expect the Angel to kidnap the Chosen," said Kratos. "It was my impression that their duty was to guide the Chosen on her journey to seal away the Desians. It never entered my mind that holy beings of Cruxis could betray us."

"Maybe you should have thought of that," Zelda said. She glanced at Link, but he was quietly standing with his back to the school as he studied the ground. "It seems there are a lot of things that have been taken for granted that are not always true."

* * *

**The Enslaved**

Yuan's feet whooshed softly as he walked. Each step he took made a soft tap on the packed earth. He followed the path from the Village of Oracles that led through a nearby forest. His destination was on the other end, the house of a Dwarf named Dirk.

He had heard mention of a dwarf named Dirk before. He was told that Dirk was a craftsman of the highest order. That wasn't a shock since most dwarves were excellent craftsmen. At least, whenever they deigned ventured out of their underground communities.

The people of the village said Dirk lived out here with his son. Considering how xenophobic humans were, that fact did not surprise him. He got the feeling that the reason the villagers told him about Dirk was survivor's guilt.

While his men handled the evacuation of Iselia, he left on his own to track down Dirk and his son. Without sunlight, moonlight, or even starlight, the forest became the stuff of nightmares. Foreboding didn't do the wood justice. Had he been younger, he would have been shaking as he strode quickly into its dark depths.

Due to his heightened sense of sight, he was able to see in the darkness. He followed the dirt path up several hills. It was eerily silent as he walked. Even his footsteps seemed to be muted. Was the forest holding its breath?

He stopped as he reached the highest point of the path. The packed dirt split into two directions. One led down the other side of the mountain and the second fork, he knew, led to the Human Ranch.

He could sense something moving inside of the Ranch. It felt familiar, but he couldn't place where he'd felt it last. Whatever the feeling was coming from, it wasn't Human or Half-elf.

He shook off the grotesque pit growing in the pit of his stomach. He took the right path and started down the other side of the mountain. In minutes, he emerged from the forest into small clearing.

He knew he'd arrived because there was a two story cabin in the middle of it. He crossed over the small stream that cut across the clearing. His boots played their distinct drum beat on the wooden bridge.

Before knocking, he took a look around the yard. It did seem like a dwarf lived here alright. There was a forge chimney on part of the cabin. There were forging implements scattered about the yard, wood for fuel, a large bucket of water for cooling hot metal.

But there was also a target dummy with sword slashes all over it. The target was too high for a dwarf, which made him wonder who else Dirk and his son lived with.

He raised his arm, intent on hammering his fist on the thick wooden door. He froze when the wood directly over his head groaned. He slowly looked up into the face of a crossbow.

"I wouldn't be moving, laddie," said the person above. He frowned at the thickly accented voice.

"Would you happen to be Dirk?" he asked.

"Aye," said the stout man. "And who might you be?"

"I am Yuan," he said with a nod. "My men and I saved the villagers of Iselia from some monsters and are evacuating them. They told us about you and your son." He took a step backwards and got focused his vision for a better look. Neither man nor dwarf had a source of light, but obviously both could see the other clearly. Dwarves, having come into being underground, were adapted to pitch darkness. If anything, Yuan thought, Dirk was probably more capable of protecting himself than he was in this environment. "I came to help get the two of you out of here."

"That's pretty brave of you, to come here alone," said Dirk. He raised the crossbow and hugged it against his chest. "What's to say you won't be needing help yourself now that you've made it this far?"

He coughed into his hand to cover up a bark of laughter. The very notion that he would need help defeating monsters was laughable indeed. Even if Dirk was better suited for survival, he was also perfectly capable of handling a few measly monsters. He decided to change the subject.

"If you'd collect your son we can get out of here," he said. "And pack light, we have to move quickly."

"And why would I be going with you?" Dirk asked. "I've yet to see any monsters that I couldn't handle. What makes you think I'm in danger all the way out here, in the middle of this forest?"

"I don't know what you've encountered so far," Yuan said, "but a wave of monsters has spread from the Triet Desert. They've destroyed everything in their path. Triet is gone and Izoold has been leveled."

"And I suppose you and your men killed the monsters in Iselia, right laddie?" Dirk chuckled. He lowered his crossbow again. "I don't think I'll be buying your little heroic story. Sorry."

"Actually…" he trailed off as the hairs on the back of his neck suddenly came to life. His skin began to crawl and some ancient instinct made him shiver. Something was very wrong.

He quickly scanned the tree line. Even with his enhanced sight he couldn't see anything moving in the thick darkness. He could feel it though. Something was stalking him. And his nose was beginning to smell whatever it was that was in the Human Ranch. What in the world could it be?

"Dirk," he said so that his voice wouldn't reach beyond the space between them. "I hope you've got something a lot stronger than that crossbow."

"And why is that, laddie? Are you fixing to try something funny?" Apparently Dirk wasn't as aware of his surrounding as he was. It appeared like he'd have to protect Dirk after all.

A branch from one of the trees snapped loudly. He spun around to face the oncoming monster. Its wretched stench filled his nostrils and almost made him choke. Whatever the monster was, it was moving too fast for him to make out. It was all he could do to leap out of the way before the monster bowled him over.

He was quickly back on his feet. But not quick enough. The monster grabbed him around the neck and lifted him into the air. The smelly flesh just below his head made quick work of his olfactory. The world swayed around him as he began to lose consciousness.

Three arrows suddenly buried themselves in the side of the monster's head. The ground appeared under Yuan's feet and he heaved with the remaining strength that he wielded to push himself away. After several quick, deep breaths to clear his head he turned to look back at the corpse behind him.

He was astonished to find an Exbelua lying dead on the ground. The monster was a human with an out of control Exsphere. How did it get all the way out here?

Once again, his nose gave him the answer. This Exbelua smelled like the monsters he smelled in the Human Ranch. That meant that all the humans that the Desians had enslaved were turned into Exbeluas.

"Smelly one, isn't she?" Yuan quickly forced his body to regain a semblance of composure and calm. With a quickly glance at the deceased deformed woman on the ground, he turned away.

"Now do you believe me?" he asked Dirk. Dirk nodded first at Yuan and then at a large pack on the ground behind him.

"I figured you couldn't have lied about being in danger if a giant monster burst from the forest and attacked you," Dirk explained. "I've had some stuff packed for a while now, I was waiting for my son to return from Iselia before we left. But I doubt my boy would be stupid enough to venture out into the forest alone with monsters a strong as that roaming about." Dirk inspected the body a moment longer and then went back to his bag and began hoisting it up onto his shoulders. "Just give me a moment to get this thing strapped on."

He nodded. That simple movement made his vision swirl and the trees began dancing before his eyes. He held his head and leaned against one of the trees until the dizzy spell went away.

"You okay laddie?" asked Dirk. The large bag belied the dwarf's true size. He resisted nodding again and forced his head to remain still.

"It seems the monster had more of an effect on me than I first thought," he said. "Nevertheless, we have to get out of here and back to Iselia."

"Aye, sounds like a good plan to me," agreed Dirk. The Dwarf looked him up and down. "You sure you won't be needing any protection yourself on the way back?"

This time he did allow himself a small smirk. It did appear that way. He took a deep breath and silently started the trek back over the mountain.

Dirk stopped before he walked from the clearing. He looked back at the cabin and then frowned. He muttered something to himself, put two fingers into his mouth, and whistled loudly.

"Noishe," yelled the dwarf. "Get your lousy tail out here, or you'll be left to fend for yourself."

He paused, the name throwing him off. Did Dirk just say Noishe? That was Kratos' pet, wasn't it?

A green and white furred wolf-dog quickly ran up to Dirk. Dirk patted it on the head and then continued on his way. He scrutinized the wolf-dog as it passed by him and he was suddenly struck by a bout of déjà vu.

It was Kratos' pet. The one that was supposed to have died fourteen years previous. The one that died with Kratos' wife and child.

This revelation meant one of two things. Kratos' wife and/or child survived with Noishe. Or Noishe was the sole survivor.

He thought about this revelation as they traveled silently through the wood. It remained eerily silent and he was thankful no monsters attacked, especially Exbeluas. It didn't bode well that halfway back through the forest he still experienced crippling dizzy spells.

He assumed that, as they walked from the forest, they would be safe from attack. The wave of monsters from Triet wasn't due to arrive for another two hours. He knew how wrong he was when the smell returned.

Apparently Noishe knew what the smell meant as well. As soon as he smelled it, the wolf-dog's ears perked up. Noishe then yipped like he was bitten and took off running.

"Where do you think you're going, you poor excuse for a guard dog!" shouted Dirk. "Get back here." It was no use though. The wolf-dog tucked tail and disappeared into the village. The village gates were several meters away.

It might as well have been ten miles away when the two of them were suddenly surrounded by three Exbeluas. The stench made his vision sway, but he swallowed hard and force himself to stay focused.

He quickly summoned Mana to his right hand. He extended his hand toward one of the transformed humans when static electricity started snapping and crackling across the surface of his palm. That Exbelua took the action as a threat and charge in.

The following battle was intense. It mostly consisted of him throwing spell after spell at the monster. Dirk unloaded an unhealthy amount of crossbow bolts at the thing. Between the two of them, it looked like they would win.

During the fight, he had to resist the nausea growing in the pit of his stomach. Dirk sensed his growing disability and somehow increased the rate of fire from his crossbow. His last spell caught the Exbelua in the leg and crippled it.

The other two monsters, surprisingly, hadn't made any move to help their fellow monster. The made noise, yes, but it almost seemed like they were cheering their comrade on. Was it possible that they retained some form of intelligence?

That question hardly mattered at the moment. He fell to his knees, suddenly exhausted. In short order he found himself face down on the ground. Dirk jumped in between his prone body and the Exbelua.

The Exbelua, crippled and exhausted itself, roared defiantly and crawled forward. Before it could reach Dirk though, an fourth Exbelua jumped down on top of the crippled one. The new monster smashed the crippled one's skull with a single, earth shaking punch.

Dirk looked the new monster up and down. Defiantly he said, "I suppose you'll be wanting some of us too, you big lugger."

The Exbelua tilted its head to the side, seeming incapable of understanding the Dwarf. It quickly gave up thinking though, and made a short series of grunts and groans. The other two Exbeluas responded with more grunts and groans. And then they ran off.

"Aye, you better run," Dirk shouted after them. He chased them a short distance, waving his crossbow in the air. "And don't be showing your faces around here again. You stinking heaps of dragon dung!"

Yuan would have chuckled at the dwarf's antics, but the world was quickly fading away. The stench, whatever it was, somehow bypassed his evolved angelic resistance to physical ailment. It was with mixed confusion, fear, and relief that he fell asleep for the first time in thousands of years.

* * *

**A Step Forward**

The village was utterly silent. The stillness made Link's scalp tingle. And the darkness made it all the worse. Even the candle that Raine held seemed to have the light sucked out of it.

Raine and Kratos decided that the best thing to do would be to remain in the town. The fact that the town was completely devoid of life creeped under the skin of everyone. Kratos was on edge, playing with the pommel of his sword, as he and Lloyd listened to Genis recall what happened in the vortex. Raine stood nearby listening.

"Link." He nearly jumped out of his skin. He turned and faced the princess.

"Y-yes Princess," he said. He wanted to look away from her eyes. Each time he tried, he was drawn back to them.

"I want to talk about what happened," she said calmly. She blinked slowly. "About when you tried to run from the monster."

He realized she was going to yell at him again. He coughed into his hand and looked to the side. His desperate need for a distraction was easily found

Genis was attempting to re-enact the fight with the monster. Lloyd had Genis Kendama and was trying to act like he was casting a spell. More often than not Lloyd seemed to be hitting himself in the face with the round, red ball. Raine watched her two students silently. Kratos was still playing with the pommel of his sword. The air was kind of cold. The darkness was still creepy.

"Link." Zelda continued to be ignored.

Even though it was kind of cold out, he was sweating. It left a sticky feeling on his skin. The ground was hard to see, but it looked like a lot of rocks and pebbles. Kratos was still glaring off into the distance with his hand on his sword. Lloyd had given up on the Kendama and was now asking Genis about how the spider died. Genis was groaning as he explained again.

"I want you to know that I don't hold it against you for being afraid of everything."

That caught his attention. He turned his head back to look at her. Now he was expecting something to be said while she looked away. How had she reversed their roles so quickly?

"Link…" Zelda's voice was softer now. "Back in the cave. I had refused to accept the reality that you were afraid." The princess balled her fists in front of her and then let them fall to her side. "I got caught up in the moment. I expected you to fight valiantly like all the heroes did. Like in all those stories, you'd kill the monster and rescue me from this… nightmare. I… I am sorry for the way I acted."

Link frowned and opened his mouth to speak, But-" Zelda held up a hand and he fell quiet again.

"Don't worry. I won't push you into a role you don't want. But I truly believe that you are brave and valiant. You may have been afraid, but you traveled though the sewers to save me. Me, a girl who you've never met before. I had… thought, naively, that being the Princess of Hyrule would mean that any citizen would just do anything to save me. Being thrown into someplace where my title means nothing has taught me that I was wrong. You didn't have to come through the sewers to save me. But, despite being afraid, you showed enough courage to brave them anyway. That takes true courage."

Link looked away, unsure how to respond to the praise. Him, courageous? That couldn't describe who he was. He'd gone through the sewers because the alternative was worse. Hadn't he? Thinking about it made his head hurt.

"Link," Raine called out to him as she walked toward him and the Princess. "Explain to me what Genis meant by 'Hero Mode'?"

"I swear I don't remember doing that," Link said. He threw his hands up in a defensive gesture. "All I remember was being afraid and then blacking out."

"Yeah," Lloyd said, as he joined the circle. "Go Hero Mode now. I want to see what it looks like. The way Genis was talking about it, it sound's awesome."

"I..." Link looked back and forth between Lloyd and Raine. He glanced behind them at Genis, who offered no help at all. Kratos, who stood behind Genis, was now looking at him and playing with the hilt of his sword. A cold sweat broke out on the back of his neck. A shiver ran up his spine when Zelda's hand touched his shoulder.

"Calm down, Link," she said. "Just think it through calmly and you'll be okay."

"C-calm... Yeah. I'll try," Link said. He swallowed, the sound far louder and more incriminating than he would have liked. "I remember we were in the shield, and the Princess was holding my hand. I was looking at the monster as it was going to fall and crush the shield. And then... I..." His words caught in his throat as he tried to force his memory to go back to that moment. "I can't remember what happened after that. When I woke up, all I could remember was being afraid in complete darkness."

"Hmm..." Raine crossed her arms as she thought. "It sounds like a psychological break. Perhaps schizophrenia? Split personality? I haven't read enough material on psychology to know for sure."

"Those sound like the correct conditions," Kratos said, his voice quiet in the darkness. "Though my knowledge on the subject is probably no better."

"Well," said Lloyd. Link looked at him. "Come on, go Hero!"

"I can't," Link said. "I don't know how."

"What? Awe, c'mon Link, try harde-"

"Lloyd! Would you get your lazy butt over here and help me with this dog of yours!" Like a knee jerk reaction, Lloyd sprinted away from the group. When Lloyd came back into view he was escorting a short, stout man with a large sack strapped to his back. Next to the short man was Lloyd and next to Lloyd was the green and white monster that was called a dog by his owner.

"Dirk!" Raine and Genis quickly moved to the dwarf's side. "Thank goodness you made it through the forest safely." The elder Sage sibling said this with a hint of relief.

"It was nothing to be worrying about," said the dwarf. "I was planning on waiting until Lloyd came home. But then this fella-" Dirk patted the lump of cloth slung over Noishe's back, "he walked up to the house and started going on about how it wasn't safe and such. I was about to shoo him off when this great beast tackled him to the ground. I put a couple of bolt in it though and that took care of it."

Dirk hoisted his crossbow and shook it for emphasis. "Just outside the village, we were put upon by three more. We fought its leader and managed to beat it. Another one jumped in and finished the job before we could. And then they all ran off. Then this fella fell over."

Lloyd reached over the unconscious man on the wolf-dog's back. He grasped the man's shoulder and pulled him off of Noishe and onto the ground.

Link noticed when Kratos' hand suddenly stopped playing with the pommel of his sword. He looked up at the taller man and saw a mixture of emotions that he couldn't decipher. Zelda, to his right, apparently could.

"Do you know this man?" she asked.

"His name is Yuan," said Kratos.

* * *

**Chapter Seven makes its debut. It's been nearly eight months. I hope you like it.**

**~I.K.A. Valian  
**

* * *

Posted 9/17/09

Updated 10/1/09


	8. VIII Chapter Eight

Legend!

The Forgotten Hero and the Eternal Swordsman

By I.K.A. Valian

* * *

_**Chapter Eight: Coming Together for the Benefit of the Common Defense…

* * *

**_

**The Last Refuge**

"His name is Yuan," Kratos said. He shifted his weight to his left leg and extended his right toward Yuan. A single syllable of sound passed through Yuan's lips as the pointed tip of Kratos' purple boot came into contact with his temple. "It would have taken a great amount of force to do this to him."

"Aye," said Dirk. He nodded his head, his beard just barely reaching his chest. "It was a fierce beast to be sure. We managed to defeat one of them back at the house, just after it was destroyed. Then after battling another one, he just collapsed. That was just outside of the village."

"What did the monster look like?" asked Genis.

"It was this big ugly beast with green and purple skin," said Dirk. He threw his hands into the air and hunched his shoulders. He then twisted his lips and flared his nose. "And it smelled quite bad too," Dirk said in sudden deep, gravelly voice.

"What I would like to know is what happened to the people of Iselia," said Raine. While Genis backed away from Dirk, she kneeled down on the ground next to Yuan. After brushing several strands of blue hair from his face, she pushed her fingers against his forehead. "He seems fine, just unconscious."

"I want to know what happened to the villagers as well," said Lloyd. "If they were killed, where are all the bodies?"

"Good eye, Lloyd," said Dirk as he dropped his arms. He then nodded toward Yuan. "He said that his men came and rescued them before some big wave of monsters arrived."

"A wave of monsters," said Kratos. He turned fully toward Dirk and unfolded his arms. He put one foot in front of the others and leaned slightly forward.

Dirk tilted his head back a bit and looked right into Kratos' eyes. "Aye, that's what I said. That's what he said too." Dirk stretched out his arm and leveled his index finger at Yuan.

Kratos looked at the ground for a moment. His eyes squeezed shut and open in one long blink. Then he raised his head to look toward the front entrance of the village.

"There is a large force headed this way," Kratos said. "I'm sure some of you have felt it by now, that ominous feeling of dread."

"Now that you mention it," said Zelda. "The atmosphere has become rather… stuffy." She brought her hands up in front of her and held them against her chest.

"Feels normal to me," Link said softly.

"It shouldn't be here for a few minutes," Kratos said. He crossed his arms as he continued to speak. "While there are too many of them to defeat, the situation might call for a confrontation. Prepare yourselves to fight if you can." Kratos turned his head and look down the bridge of his nose at Link. "If you are unable to fight, find someplace to hide so that you are not in the way."

Lloyd unsheathed his twin sabers… or tried to. He looked down at the one stump of a blade and his shoulders sagged. "Damn, I forgot. I can't fight with only one sword."

"You will have to make do," said Kratos. He turned, his cape flaring behind him, and stalked away.

"Man," said Lloyd. "He just thinks he's so… so…"

"Yeah…" Link said. He and Lloyd watched Kratos walk away.

"There should be a new pair in the store," said Genis. The mage twisted his hand. The red ball hanging limply from the Kendama in his hand shot into the air. In one deft movement, Genis thrust the body of the toy at the red ball. The toy let out a pained whoosh as the red ball was impaled with dead aim accuracy. "I saw them yesterday when I was buying food."

"Really?" Lloyd asked. He pulled his right hand in front of him and clenched it into a fist. "Alright, I'm going to go get those. You guys stay here, okay?"

"We can't let you go alone," said Genis. He put his hands on his hips. "It's suicide."

"That's right," said Zelda. "You wouldn't be able to stand against those monsters without some kind of assistance. And besides, who said that Kratos would allow such an adventure?"

Everyone fell silent for a moment.

Lloyd's head swiveled as a mischievous glint appeared in his eyes. He spotted Raine still attending to the unconscious Yuan next to Noishe. They were situated next to the school house. Dirk was facing away from the four of them, north toward the Martel Temple. And Kratos faced south, down the path that cut straight through the town toward the entrance.

"I have an idea," Lloyd whispered. He bent down low. Genis, Link, and Zelda leaned in closely. "No one is paying attention to us. We can sneak down the side path that goes by your house, Genis."

Genis scowled. "Lloyd! We can't. You heard what Kratos said. The monsters are coming."

"Genis, I can't fight with only one sword," Lloyd said. "I'll hold everyone back without another sword to fight with. I have to get those new swords."

"Alright, alright," said Genis. The shorter boy waved his hands at Lloyd. Lloyd unclenched his shoulders and grinned. "Sheesh. We better hurry then, before those monsters get here."

"All right," said Lloyd. He smiled and then turned toward Zelda and Link. Link had no obvious expression, which confused Lloyd, since it wasn't what he'd come to expect from the boy. Zelda, on the other hand, held her left hand in her right against her chest and studied the ground with a creased brow. "You guys coming?" Lloyd asked.

Link's eyebrows suddenly shot up and his face visibly paled. He remained silent though. After a moment's hesitation, he nodded his head. His shoulders and arms shivered as he did.

Zelda nodded as well, her brow now set in determination. She looked back at Raine, Kratos, and Dirk. None of them had shifted their positions.

"If we're going to do this," she said, "now would be the best time."

"Let's go," said Lloyd. He turned and stepped lightly as he walked toward the pathway on the far side of the clearing. In moments they'd left behind the school house and were traveling through the quiet darkness.

"It's so dark," said Link. "I can't see anything."

"Hold on," said Genis. "Lloyd, can I have your broken sword?"

"Yeah," said Lloyd. There was a fumbling of wood and cloth. Then a wave of heat rolled over the group as Genis cast a fire spell on the stump of a sword. The new torch cheerily illuminated the pathway around them, and the house next to them.

"This won't last for long," said Genis, handing the torch to Lloyd.

"We better hurry then," said Lloyd as he took the torch and held it arms length.

The sense of foreboding floating around the four of their group was not a new feeling for Link. Usually, he was the only one afraid, but that was not the case anymore. That fact comforted him, even though he knew it shouldn't. He felt he should say something, having felt these feelings before. But he didn't know what to say. How did having experience being afraid of everything, he wondered, make him any better equipped or more knowledgeable than he was before all this started?

"There it is," said Genis. "The shop is right over there." Genis lifted his arm and pointed at a wooden shack. Its windows were bleeding darkness, daring any would be adventurer to enter and be swallowed up.

Lloyd rushed up to the door. He grasped the handle and pulled, but the door remained closed.

"What the," he said. Lloyd pulled several more times, each attempt more violent than the next, until Lloyd finally gave up. "Stupid door," he said and kicked the door for good measure. "Now what?"

"Well, why don't you go in that way?" said Link. He pointed to the open window on the side of the shack. Lloyd looked at the window and grinned.

"Good eye, Link," Lloyd said. He handed Zelda the torch and quickly moved in front of the window. Once there, he pulled the shutter open as far as it would go and his smile drained away. "Damn," he said, "it looks like I'm too big to fit."

Lloyd stared at the window for a second. Then his eyes lit up and he turned toward Genis. Genis took a step back and raised his hands in front of him.

"N-no way," Genis said. "I'm not good with climbing, you know that."

"Genis, the monsters could get here any minute," Lloyd said. He crossed his arms and leveled a stare at his friend.

"We would appreciate it greatly if you could do this, Genis," said Zelda. Link nodded next to her.

Genis looked back and forth at everyone present. The hope reflected in his eyes diminished with each person he turned to. Eventually, his shoulders sagged and he trudged toward the window. "Alright," he said, "I'll do it."

"Thanks, Genis," said Lloyd.

Lloyd kneeled down on the ground in front of the window. Genis rolled his eyes and climbed onto Lloyd's back. For a moment, Genis stood there, wobbling.

"You're not that light," Lloyd wheezed. "Do you think you could hurry?"

"Sorry I'm not light enough for you," retorted Genis. Genis grabbed onto the wooden windowsill and, after making sure to step on Lloyd's head, Genis jumped into the window head first. For a second he stayed half in and half out, his legs wiggling this way and that. And then…

**Bang!**

**Crash!!**

_**Thud!!**_

"Genis!" Lloyd jumped up and shoved his head in the window. "Are you okay?!"

The response was a low, pained moan.

"Genis?" said Lloyd.

"Lloyd, when this is over, I want you to try climbing into this window," said Genis.

"Yeah, sure," said Lloyd, "now would you open the front door?" Lloyd paused as he passed by Link on the way back to the front. He unsheathed the single blade he had left and turned to Link. "Here," he said, "you take this one."

Link stared at Lloyd for a few moments. Then his gazed slowly drifted down from Lloyd's face, along his arm, to his hand where the hilt of his sword was thrust towards him.

"I… I…" Link took a step back, his shoe making a soft landing on the paved ground.

"I'm going to be getting two new ones," said Lloyd, "and besides, you don't have anything to defend yourself with."

Link blinked a few times, his eyelids seeming to take forever to travel a couple centimeters. Finally he dipped his head and reached out. "Th-thank you Lloyd," he said as the wooden saber was stuck into his hand.

While Lloyd and Genis went back to their banter, Link pulled away from Zelda and leaned against a fence post. He slipped his new sword under his belt as he pushed back into the wooden bars behind him.

Zelda noticed Link brooding. She held back the impulse to tell him to stand up straight. At this point, even she was beginning to lose hope of ever getting back to Hyrule.

What use was composure if you were doomed, as this world appeared to be? Besides, Link _was_ the one responsible for the situation they were in. If anyone had the right to be brooding at this point, it was Link. She didn't put all the blame at his feet, though. She was responsible for this as well, dragging Link into this from the very start. Had she not asked Link to save her, she'd be the only one here right now.

A piece of stone bouncing across the ground behind her caught her attention. She turned around and peered into the darkness. She lifted the torch higher, but it did nothing to help her see. Through the gloom she heard more pebbles scattering across the ground.

Like a phantasmic wraith, an outline appeared in the darkness. In that instant, Zelda knew the sounds were not pebbles bouncing across the ground. But, her mind told her, the clicking sounds were too numerous to be coming from just the one creature in front of her.

Zelda's eyes shot open. She took a step backward, and then another. She continued to back pedal past Lloyd as the door creaked open. She backed up until she was pressed against the fence next to Link.

"Princess?" he said, looking up. The torch slipped from Zelda's fingers. Link's head snapped forward after observing her pale face and quivering lips. "Oh," he said.

"Yes," Lloyd said. He lifted the new pair of wooden swords into the air. He slashed in front of him a few times ending in a fanciful sheathing maneuver. "Haha, good as new."

"Lloyd!" cried Genis. "The monsters are here!"

Lloyd spun around, the twin white ribbons fluttered behind him wildly. He unsheathed his brand new twin sabers, flourishing both blades with twists of his wrists. The wooden blades audibly whooshed through the air as they moved. Lloyd ended his flourishing in a quick pose with one blade pointed toward the approaching scorpion and the other over his head.

The scorpion screeched, shook its claws, and raised it poison injecting tail high above its head. The two combatants charged at one another. The end result was a cleaved in half scorpion. Lloyd, though winded, regained his footing and prepared to attack a hawk diving for him.

"Fireball!" shouted Genis. A trio of fireballs formed around his Kendama. They crackled and popped as he lunged forward with the toy. The motion sent the fireballs flying into a hawk that veered in front of the rabbit he was aiming for.

"Hey," said Lloyd, "that was mine!"

"Hurry up and fight Lloyd!" Genis shouted. Then he added, "Fireball," and sent another trio of fireballs at his original target. The rabbit quickly caught on fire and scampered into a crowd of rabid wolves running toward them.

Lloyd jumped into the air, and brought both his blades down on the closest wolf. The other wolves attempted to then latch onto Lloyd, but he flipped backwards away from the monster he'd just injured. The wolves collided into each other and landed in a heap.

"Genis!" Lloyd shouted.

"Fireball!" Genis shouted. Another trio of fireballs lanced for the pile of wolves. They caught aflame and were defeated, disappearing in waves of heated Mana.

Lloyd turned and took a couple steps toward the next monster when a blue, shimmering shield went up in front of him. Lloyd stopped his attack, rocking onto his toes to avoid losing balance. When Lloyd had his balance back he looked at the shield and poked it with his sword. The wooden blade clicked against the shield, as if he tapped it against glass.

"Where did this come from?" asked Lloyd.

"I created it," said Zelda. Genis and Lloyd turned to Zelda. She was standing behind them with Link's glowing hand in her own.

"Is this the Nayru's Love spell you used in the Vortex?" asked Genis.

"Never mind that," said Lloyd. "Why did you put up this shield? We can't fight the monsters if we can't get to them."

"Look," said Zelda. She pointed behind Lloyd and Genis. They both turned and saw spiders, wolves, rabbits, hawks, snakes, and scorpions just now crawling over the village wall. The sheer number was so great that the wall, and even the gate, quickly crumpled to the ground. Revealed by the starlight was a host of monsters that looked like a flowing mass of shadows and glowing eyes.

"Oh… Goddess," said Genis. The Kendama in his hand went limp. Lloyd's swords, previously held at the ready, slowly dropped until their tips hit the ground. All the boys, Link included, seemed to shrink into themselves.

"That's exactly what I thought," said Zelda. "I knew that those wolves and couple monsters couldn't be all that was out there. The sounds were too many. So before we were overwhelmed, I erected Nayru's Love."

"We need to get back to the others," said Link. "They might be in trouble."

"Wait…" said Lloyd. "They're not moving." He pointed at the host of vile creatures yet to invade the village with one of his swords. Though that section of the village was quickly being overwhelmed with smaller creatures, the bigger, scarier ones in the background didn't seem to be moving forward at all.

"We don't have time for that now," said Genis. He reached out and grabbed Lloyd's arm. Then he pulled Lloyd away. Lloyd snapped out of it quickly enough and followed the others back toward the school house.

The barrier, shimmering with bright blue, lit the pathway up much better than the pseudo torch Lloyd's former sword made. The monsters that were in the way were pushed to the side by the barrier. The gaggle of monsters chasing them harped at the back end of the barrier, but could not break it.

Through all of this, Link noticed three things. The way the Princess was running in her ruined dress and the mix of determination and fear in her expression. The second was that the monsters didn't scare him as much as they used to. And the last thing Link noticed was that this was the second time he was being dragged through Iselia.

They arrived back at the school house in time to see Kratos leap over a pack of about four wolves. In the milliseconds of flight he had over the wolves, Kratos tucked his left arm under his other. Then he used the fulcrum of his weight to spin himself around. The torque produced by the move allowed Kratos to easily slice through all four wolves at once.

Without missing a beat, Kratos threw out both of his hands and caught himself on the ground. For a moment he stood on his hands before he bent his arms and pushed his whole body upwards with enough force to send him into the air.

Kratos back flipped in mid air, his cape flapping as he went. A hawk attempted to attack Kratos from below, but the mercenary suddenly shoved his feet downward, right into the Hawk's face. The bird was smashed into pieces of dissipating Mana when Kratos landed feet first on the ground.

Another wolf attempted leaped from behind Kratos for his head. He saw it coming, and whipped around to slice the monster in half. Four wooden crossbow bolts beat him to the kill and nailed the wolf to the wall of the school.

A lull in the monsters grouped around Kratos and Dirk allowed the four teens to approach. Nayru's Love slid over Kratos first, ruffling his clothing and hair like a light breeze. Then Dirk was pulled in, the same light breeze ruffling his beard and shirt.

"Kratos!" Genis said. "That was awesome!"

"Hmph," Kratos scoffed. He whipped his sword to the side, sending any monster remains stuck to the blade onto to the ground. Then he flipped the grip of the sword in his hand. With practiced ease he slipped the blade back into its sheath.

Lloyd scowled. "Yeah… he wasn't all _that_ great," he said.

"I'll assume you retrieved the new swords you went after," said Kratos. "For now, I think we should head into th-"

"You knew?!" asked Link. He averted his eyes when Kratos fixed a glare at him.

"Of course we knew," said Dirk. "We saw you four huddling together like you were planning something. Kratos said he overheard you four talking about new swords in the store. And when you disappeared, we figured you'd be heading toward the store."

"If you knew, then why didn't you come for us?" asked Genis.

"Your sister wanted to, but then these monsters attacked," said Dirk. "So we moved her and that Yuan fellow into the school with Noishe."

Dirk pointed at the school. Though monsters were crawling over it, none appeared to be able to enter. The windows were illuminated with a soft, flickering candle light.

Kratos glanced at the barrier around the group. The monsters on the other side threw themselves at it, but bounced off. Even the darkness seemed to withdraw from the inside of the bubble created by the blue barrier.

"We should head inside," Kratos said. "Though I have no reason to doubt the power of this barrier, I am going to assume that it isn't easy to uphold." He turned to Zelda. She took a deep breath and dipped her head in a slight nod. Everyone followed Kratos and Dirk to the school house where they all entered one at a time.

Once inside, Zelda let go of Link's hand and the barrier immediately vanished. She gasped from a sudden light headedness and fell onto Link. Link grabbed a hold of her as she forced herself back into a standing position.

"I'm alright," she said. She waved Lloyd away as he approached her. He stopped mid-stride and pursed his lips, then nodded. Kratos and Dirk left the four teens and headed for the next room.

"Genis!" Raine pushed past Kratos and Dirk into the ante-room of the school house. She wrapped her arms around Genis in a tight embrace. "Genis, you aren't hurt are you?"

"Sis, I'm fine," said Genis. He tried to push her away, but she continued unabated to search every inch of him. She even pulled his hair away to check behind his ears. When she appeared satisfied, she stood up and a scowl appeared.

"Honestly, Genis, how many times must you disobey me?! Never leave without telling me first!" she said. Quick as a flash, her hand whipped out and smacked the back of Genis' head. "That was for leaving," she said and then smacked Genis again before he could bring his hands to cover the sore spot. "And that was for worrying me so much," she added.

"I'm not sure if she's angry or worried," said Link.

"Both, I think," said Zelda.

Raine's accusatory glare turned to the both of them. "You three are in trouble too," she said with her arm extended. Three fingers were extended toward Link, Zelda, and Lloyd.

"Us," said Lloyd. "What did we do?!"

Raine stalked forward quickly, her feet thumping loudly on the wooden floor. She thumped Lloyd, Link and Zelda in quick striking succession.

"That was for running off," Raine said, her arms folded in front of her. She loomed over them for several moments, eyeing them. Then she turned, her coat tails flaring, and walked away.

"I've… never been admonished in such a way," said Zelda. She reached a hand out and lightly ran a finger over the swelling bump on her head.

Link turned and looked at the door. "What are we going to do now?" he asked. The monsters could be heard clicking and clacking, thumping and bumping on the other side of the wooden panel.

"Hey, this Yuan fellow is waking up!" said Dirk from the next room. Lloyd immediately sprang into movement, his twin ribbons twirling idly behind him as he walked into the next room. Zelda's dress, though it was clearly still ruined, still somehow managed to flow around her feet as she walked.

The four crowded side by side in front of the teacher's desk as Raine slid an arm under Yuan's back. She heaved and pushed him forward, his blue hair sliding past his pointy ears. Dirk thrust out his swarthy hand to steady Yuan once he'd acquired a sitting position on the desk.

"What happened," Yuan said.

His voice cracked and his brow creased. Yuan reached a hand up to his throat and held it while his body convulsed in a coughing fit. Once the fit had passed, he swallowed a couple times.

"You were knocked unconscious," Kratos said. Lloyd lowered the hand he'd raised when he was about to answer Yuan. He narrowed his eyes and looked at Kratos, and then quickly looked back to Yuan.

"Kratos!" Yuan said. "How did you get here? Where am I?"

"You're in Iselia," said Raine.

"Iselia," said Yuan. He looked closer at Raine's face and then pushed her away with a slight shove.

"I really don't think-" Raine began.

"I'll be fine," Yuan said as he hopped from the desk. Once standing he adjusted his clothes, pulling his cape further back onto his shoulders, pulling up his pants, and making sure his vest was flat against his chest. He stopped after that and stared at the four teens who'd been staring at him. "What the hell do _you_ want?" he asked.

Lloyd and Zelda formed a similar scowl. Genis and Link both turned slightly to the side. Zelda settled with crossing her arms. Lloyd took a step forward and pointed a finger at Yuan.

"You're lucky to be alive with all the monsters out there," Lloyd said, poking his finger into Yuan's vest. "Don't you think you should be a bit more grateful?"

"Whatever," Yuan said. He shook his head and walked past Lloyd. His cape swished behind him and his feet left a staccato of wooden taps in his wake. "Kratos, what happened?" he asked.

"While you were out, the wave of monsters arrived," Kratos said. He leaned against the side of one window, gazing blankly out at the monsters outside. There were so many now that they could be mistaken for a flood of water three feet high. They flowed like a flood too. "We retreated into the school house just as they got here."

Yuan stuck his head close to the glass and squinted his eyes. He watched the writhing mass outside in the darkness. His eyes twitched as they moved from one spot to another, taking the scene in quickly.

"Damn," Yuan said. "First Exbeluas and now this. I would have hoped to be out of here by now."

"-ir-Krssss-Sir! Do you copy?-Krssss-"

Yuan's brow creased and then he looked down at the small box clipped to his belt. A small red light was now blinking where one hadn't been before. He stretched his arm and snatched the box from his belt.

He raised the box to his mouth. His fingers clenched and a button on the side of the box clicked down. "What is it, Jestin?" Yuan asked.

"Sir," responded an accented voice from the perforated side of the box. "Finally. We were just about to give up hope of ever-"

"Jestin, get one with it." Yuan reached an arm up and grasped his forehead. His gloved creased and his hair wavered as he shook his head.

"Y-yes sir," responded Jestin. "We lost communications due to a power surge. We've got most of the equipment fixed, or fixed as best we can. Shelcy is still having trouble with the system though."

Raine took a few steps forward. Her gaze never left Yuan, but her eyes grew wider and wider. Her hands and arms slowly rose into the air as she moved.

"That technology… You're… A Desian," she said quietly. "Aren't you?"

Yuan turned his head enough to watch the rest of the group with one eye. Dirk gripped his crossbow and raised it a few inches. Lloyd ripped his swords from their sheaths and pointed one of the blades tips at Yuan. Genis reached into his jacket and drew out his Kendama. Zelda snatched Links' hand.

"Fortunately, Dr. Niskotvia has repaired the transporter," Jestin said. "So we can transport you out of there at any time sir."

Yuan continued to eye the group. Neither side of the room made a move. To Link, it seemed harder to breath, the tension having grown too great.

"He's not a Desian," said Kratos. Instantly the attention shifted to Kratos as he pushed off of the wall and walked to stand between the two groups. "He's a Renegade."

"A what?" asked Lloyd.

"The Renegades oppose the Desians," Kratos said. Kratos paused for a moment. He crossed his arms and said, "The Renegades also oppose Cruxis."

"I see you're taking that news well, Kratos," said Yuan. Kratos turned, narrowed his eyes, and tilted his head forward so some more of his hair fell forward into his face.

"They oppose Cruxis," said Genis. He waved his Kendama toward Yuan. "Doesn't that make them Desians?"

"Genis," said Raine. "Both Cruxis and the Desians have left Sylvarant."

"And it stands to reason they would not take their enemies with them," said Zelda. "Though I find it curious that you and your men showed up just before the monsters."

"We've been attempting to save as many lives as possible," said Yuan. "Unless you want to wait for Cruxis to come back and save you, then I suggest you allow me to do the same for you."

Lloyd lowered his swords and rested the weight of them on the floor. "I think we can trust him," he said. "He did save the villagers after all."

"Yeah," said Genis, "and I don't think staying here would be a good idea either."

"He warned me about the monster that demolished the house," said Dirk, "so I don't see anything wrong with this."

Raine drew in a long breath and let it out slowly. "I don't see any alternative," she said. "We are at the mercy of the monsters outside and I doubt that Cruxis is coming back after everything they did."

Yuan clenched his finger on the communicator and depressed the button, eliciting another click. "Jestin," he said, "are you ready to transport?"

"Uh… No sir," Jestin responded.

"I thought you said it was fixed," Yuan said. His shoulders had hunched upon hearing the news and his grip on the communicator tightened. "What happened?!"

Just as Yuan finished speaking, the wooden frame of the school let out a deep groan. Everyone looked up and for the first time realized that the roof was bent downwards. Monsters could be heard clicking, clacking, and thumping on the other side.

"Uh… Shelcy says that the control computer blew a fuse when it broke the last time. The technicians didn't find it until a few moments ago."

"How long until it's fixed?!" Yuan asked. "We don't have much time left."

"Make that no time left," said Kratos. He unsheathed his sword, its blade ringing like a tuning fork for several moments. "The roof is about to collapse."

Right on cue, a section of the ceiling directly over the teacher's desk dislodged. It fell with a loud whoosh. The impact with the desk destroyed the wooden structure and left a mess of splinters and broken wood.

Monsters small enough to fit through the new hole began struggling in. There were enough monsters that they easily got stuck, but the weight of the monsters behind them pushed them through. The first to land in the room were two snakes, a rabbit, and a ghoul.

Kratos and Lloyd jumped forward while Link, Genis, and Zelda quickly backed away. Raine ran to the side of the room and snatched up a staff laying against the wall. Dirk immediately aimed his crossbow upwards at the hole and let loose.

Lloyd shouted, "Demon Fang," and swept his sword along the ground toward the rabbit. The sweeping motion carried on in a wave of energy that rose up from the floor. The energy sounded like a scream mixed with ripping paper as it rolled quickly across the floor and into the rabbit. The attack hit the rabbit dead on, throwing the vicious bunny backwards into the wall.

The two snakes slithered across the floor, their bodies forming wave patterns as they moved their scaly bodies forward. Kratos stood still until the snakes were nearly upon him. Then he lashed out with his sword in several quick jabbing attacks.

His sword made loud whooshing and wood chopping sounds as it flew through the air and impacted with the wooden flooring. The attack happened in such quick succession that it could have been mistaken for a mis-timed line dance.

Kratos took a step back and slashed his sword through the air in front of him. "Rest in pieces," he said to the dissipating snake monsters.

"Fireball!"

"Din's Fire!"

The ambient heat in the room went up as four balls of fire formed. They all headed toward the ghoul monster. All made a splashing noise upon impacting with the undead creature.

Awash in flames, the monster growled and fell to the ground. There it quickly stopped moving. The fire quickly consumed the undead monster's body.

Dirk unloaded several wooden shafts into the hole created by the monsters. Though some of the bolts passed through, their cry for blood unanswered, more hit a target. The monsters with arrows sticking out of them were unable to fit through the hole and consequently, several monster heads ended up sticking into the hole, crying out and growling, but were unable to enter.

"Wow, Dad," said Lloyd. "Good job. You plugged the hole up."

"Aye," said Dirk, "but it won't last for long."

Yuan raised his communicator to his mouth and squeezed the button. It clicked and he said, "What is taking so long. We're about to be overrun by monsters here."

"Sorry sir," Jestin replied. "There was a power fluctuation and the teleportation control unit went offline. They're bringing it back online as we speak."

"Damn," Yuan said. He squeezed his finger and clicked the button again. "Tell them they have five minutes. Then I want them to immediately get us out of here."

Yuan didn't wait for or hear the response from Jestin. He clipped the communicator to his belt just as Kratos passed by him. Kratos watched a portion of the ceiling as he walked. Just as his feet slowed to a stop, before his cape even had a chance to settle down against his back, another section of the ceiling caved in.

Several thumps accompanied the monsters that joined them in the room. One of them, a wolf, leaped at Yuan. Yuan didn't even look at the monster, instead his arm shot out and he smacked the monster in the head with the back of his hand.

Three hawks attempted to gang up on Kratos by dive bombing him at the same time. He dodged them all by rolling forward into a gaggle of deadly rabbits. He didn't give the bunny monsters a chance to do anything.

Instead Kratos used the ravenous rabbits as a spring board. He twisted his body as he flew backwards through the air so that he could grab two of the hawks by the neck as he went. When he landed on the ground, Kratos used the bird monster's heads as brake pads against the floor. The lone hawk that escaped Kratos' fly-by-snatch-and-grab attack, flew away in a panic.

"Fireball!"

Genis thrust his Kendama forward. Three fireballs launched into the air. The hawk, unable to maneuver inside the building, took the brunt of the attack head on. It fell to the floor, some of its feathers burned away by the intense heat of the fire Mana.

"Hah, hah, hah!" Lloyd grunted as he ran up to the grounded monster, his swords whipping loudly through the air. Lloyd finished his string of attacks by whipping his sword along the ground.

"Demon Fang!" With that shout, a wave of energy rose up from the ground and, due to Lloyd being so close to the monster, enveloped the hawk in a whirlwind of screeching energy.

The monsters were dissipating into Mana moments after having entered. The ones that attempted to enter after the initial force once again became pincushions and thus were unable to continue entering.

"Phew…" Lloyd said. "That was ea-"

The wood that composed the front door let loose a loud groan. A small crunch was all the warning those inside the school house had before the hinges holding the door up snapped. The door fell to the floor, thunderously announcing the hoard of monsters entering behind hit.

"It looks like you spoke too soon," said Zelda. She reached out and grabbed Link's hand. Before the monsters were able to enter the room, a blue barrier appeared in the door frame.

Zelda, shaking, fell against Link. "Princess!" He reached an arm around her and grabbed her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Zelda said. "I… I don't know how long I can hold it though."

Raine quickly moved next to Zelda and looked her up and down. Her lips twisted and she crossed her arms. "This isn't good," Raine said. "If she's put under any more stress, she'll faint."

The roof groaned again, directly over Zelda. It didn't fall, but dust and other pieces of the ceiling rained down on Link, Zelda, and Raine. Raine added her strength to Link's and grabbed Zelda. The two of them lifted the princess to her feet and pulled her into the center of the room.

"I'll be... fiiiine," Zelda said. Her words were slow and slurred at the very end.

"She's becoming delirious," said Raine. "That barrier won't last much longer."

"Hang on Zelda," Link said. He and Raine set Zelda on the floor underneath a section of the roof held up by a support beam.

"We should prepare for the barrier to fall," said Kratos. "Lloyd, get on the other side of the door. Genis, you and Raine stay in the back and support us. Dirk, if you wouldn't mind backing us up as well…"

Dirk bobbed his crossbow in the air in front of him. "Aye," he said, "I'm ready."

"I'll cover the rear," said Yuan. "In case another hole opens in the ceiling." Yuan turned around, his head already cast upwards, eyes scanning the wooden structure above. "What's taking them so long?" Yuan said under his breath.

* * *

**Triet Base**

"Look out!"

A large cable fell from the ceiling. The wires inside snapped and the cable tore apart, electricity spewing in snapping sparks across the floor. Two men quickly rushed up to the cable and grabbed it. Their standard issue rubber lined leather technician gloves protecting them from the many volts of power flowing past their fingers.

"Get that cable back in place, NOW!" shouted one of the five men behind the two techies holding the cable up. The man who spoke, bullets of sweat dripping from his balding forehead, turned his head down to the computer interface panel in front of him. He pressed his fingers in certain places on the touch screen and the computer accepted the command with a light beep. The electricity was cut off from the cable just being lifted back to the ceiling by the technicians.

"The particle accelerator isn't operating above forty-five percent efficiency," said another one of the men working another one of the three consoles situated around the teleporter pad. "Fifty percent is the highest I'll be able to get it without taking the whole thing offline for diagnostic and repair."

"It should be fine," the third technician said as another pair of repair workers brushed passed him. "Fifty is within tolerances as long as targeting is above seventy."

"Damn, the power isn't being distributed evenly," said the first technician. "One of the conduits has a short in it. You two!" The man flung two fingers at the men who just finished reattaching the fallen cable. "Get over to power relay box four in the junction two corridors back. Fix the short there, pronto!"

The two men closed up the ceiling panel underneath the cable with a click. Then they both hustled from the room, reaching out and nabbing a box of tools lying on the floor as they passed through the door.

The speaker system hidden inside the walls crackled to life. The affect the walls had on sound made the crackling coming from the speakers sound like it was right next to them. Then a loud click came from the speakers.

"Repair team, report," Hughes said, his voice ringing in the ears of the technicians.

"We are nearly at operational capacity," said one of the men behind the three consoles. Different warnings were blinking in red on the computer panel in front of him. He silenced them with a stroke of his finger across the touch screen. "We need more time though. The power distribution and several other key systems are pretty much shot. What we've got now is a jury rigged, by-passed, mess of wires and temporary protocol-"

"Damn it!" shouted Hughes. "They'll die if you don't get it fixed! Hurry up and do your jobs. We'll worry about proper fixes when we have the time, which right now, we don't!" The technicians stopped moving, their hands hovering over the touch screens. The symbols and other pop up notices were blinking, demanding attention from their users.

Hughes took an audible breath. "How much longer?" he asked.

* * *

**Iselia**

"How much longer, Yuan?" asked Kratos. He stepped to the side as a wolf attempted to maul him from the front. It failed when Kratos thrust his sword into its skull. He dislodged his sword and faced the next monster forcing its way through the weakening barrier.

"I wish I knew," said Yuan. He pulled his arm back and punched the rabbit head that was gnawing a hole in the wall. He then shoved his hand through the hole and grabbed a hold onto whatever was out there.

Mana charged up his body from the soles of his feet. Sparks gathered in the air around his arm, rushed passed his elbow, and erupted in an electrical explosion on the other side of the wall.

Yuan grinned triumphantly as several loud thumps sounded against the wall and ground outside. He pulled his arm back into the building and inspected the charred remains dissipating off of his finger tips. He blew on them, sending the remaining Monster Mana into the air.

"Zelda, hold on," said Link. He lifted her hand and gripped it just as her head fell to the side. "Zelda!"

"Barrier's down," announced Kratos. He jumped forward, his sword already flying through the air. "Lloyd, now!"

"Genis, us too," said Raine. She picked up her staff and closed her eyes. Genis looked up at her for a moment before he narrowed his eyes and his jaw set. He brought his Kendama and began jumping the ball around. Mana began charging in the air around the two siblings. Their words, though whispers and mumbles, filled the air with their faint sounds. The Mana formed up around Genis' Kendama, glowing red and orange, swirling around his hand and the toy. The Mana then quickly gathered into crackling balls of pure fire.

The Mana Raine gathered and spun through the veils of magic and the spell, concentrated into her hands. Her skin took on a light green hue and the air around her hands glowed light blue. She raised her hands and staff and pointed toward Lloyd and Kratos.

"Fire Ball!"

"First Aid!"

The two spells launched from the Sage siblings. The _First Aid_ spell, a glob of floating sea green energy, impacted on the backs of Lloyd and Kratos. Their bodies glowed sea green for a couple seconds, their wounds healing up.

The three balls of fire Mana flew through the air after being released. Like magnets attracting to one another, all three balls of fire impacted with a wolf monster and obliterated it. The wolf dissipated into Mana on the spot.

"Hah, hah, hah," grunted Lloyd. He swung his swords up, down, diagonally. Striking quickly with one sword and then following up with a slash from his second blade. Four bunnies didn't stand a chance, especially when he thrust one of swords into the group of them. "Try this," he said, "Sonic Thrust!"

The blast of energy from the attack threw the bunnies into the air. They didn't survive the blow and dissipated into Mana before the hit the ground. A couple flakes of dissipated Mana flew by Link's head as the fighting went on.

Link wasn't focused on the fight, instead, he faced the unconscious Princess who lay propped up against the wall. He reached out a hand grabbed her shoulder. Link then gently shook her.

"Princess," he said, "Princess wake up."

"Look out boy!" shouted Dirk, "One got by us."

Link looked up just as a rabbit bound up to him. Its beady black eyes and bared teeth declared its intent obviously enough. Link felt his inside freeze as the monster opened its maw and hissed loudly at him.

"Link!" shouted Lloyd. He whipped his left hand around and slashed at two wolves. They were knocked backwards. "Hang on!"

"Lloyd! Pay attention!" shouted Kratos. The two wolves jumped back at Lloyd, who had his back turned at this point. He was knocked to the ground and the two wolves sprang off of Lloyd and into the room. "Lloyd!"

With Kratos distracted and Lloyd gone, monster after monster poured into the school house. Raine's staff hummed and vibrated as she attacked any monster within her reach. With one hand she wielded her staff of pain while pushing Genis behind her with the other. Dirk backed into a corner, shooting arrows as fast as he could.

Yuan began punching and kicking Monsters as they came at him. The number of Monsters quickly out grew his capacity to fight them off individually and he was forced to leap backwards from the near dog pile they'd attained on top of him.

Kratos charged straight into the gaggle of monsters that were ganging up on Lloyd. With three quick, strong slashes, he cleared a path to Lloyd. When he was over the boy, Kratos reached down with his shielded arm while stabbing a monster in the head. He grabbed Lloyd and jerked him quickly to his feet just as he kneed another monster and stabbed a third.

"We're gonna die!" shouted Genis over the rambunctious roar of the monsters and the fighting inside the school house. Never the less, Genis flicked his Kendama and sent the red ball smashing into the side of a wolf, knocking it over.

"Hang on everyone!" shouted Lloyd. He quickly shook his head and immediately brought his swords down on another monster in front of him.

Try as they might, the sheer number of monsters was overwhelming. They all got scratches, gashes, sprains, and other injuries as they fought the hoard.

Link pulled the sword Lloyd handed to him earlier and swung it at the rabbit. The rabbit, overcome with blood lust, took the blow and shook it off. Link swung again, over and over. He stopped when he felt the sword suddenly thunk against the floor. He cracked open his eyes and saw the rabbit was in pieces and now dissipating into Mana.

Link looked up and felt his fingers loosen on the hilt of the sword. The monsters were streaming into the room. This was it. He was going to die.

A sudden bolt of pain exploded from within his left hand and shot up his arm. Though it was numb moments before, now the nerves in his arm screamed with pained anguish. He fell to his knees and dropped the sword as he held his left hand to his chest.

Link screwed his eyes shut. Clamped his teeth together. Stopped breathing. His heart was hammering in his chest and his blood was pounding through his whole body. The pain in his hand made stars appear in his vision, even though his eyes were still shut.

'_**Do you desire the power?**__'_

Silence. Link opened his eyes, the pain gone. An inch from his face was the open jaw of a wolf, a wolf frozen mid leap. The drool was even frozen in a big drop hanging from the monster's mouth.

Link felt his left hand twitch as the voice spoke. It was a calm voice, deep and bass. It vibrated pleasantly in his ears, even though he took no pleasure from hearing it or feeling it.

Pushing down on his knees, and without taking his eyes from the wolf's open mouth, Link rose to his feet. He turned his head then, taking in the chaos frozen in time within the school house.

A wolf was hanging off of Kratos' shield arm. He was grimacing while thrusting his sword into another monster on his other side. Lloyd was floating in the air. Link looked closer and saw a hawk had somehow flown into the school and had knocked Lloyd backwards. Raine and Genis were both covered in cuts and streaks of blood. They were both attacking different monsters. Dirk was firing arrow, even though his eyes were covered in blood coming from a large gash on his forehead. Yuan was strangling a rabbit in one hand and kicking a wolf with one of his feet.

'_**This is all your fault**__,'_ said the voice. _'__**If only you'd been stronger. You could have help hold the monsters back, kept everyone out of danger. But you… you chose to do nothing.**__'_

"No!" Link said aloud. "I was helping the Princess."

'_**That's just an excuse. You know that to be true. You just used the princess as a reason to avoid helping**__.'_

"I… I…" Link felt his arms and legs begin to shake. "I don't want to get hurt."

'_**Look at that wolf. He wants to hurt you. You'll die if you do nothing. And look at the others. Do you think they want to get hurt?**__'_

Link felt his neck involuntarily turning his head and his eyes involuntarily swiveling in his head to look at each of the others in the room. Their faces were replaced with grotesque, mangled up versions. It was clear though, that each of them was terrified.

'_**See the terror each of them wields within their soul. And it's all your fault. Had you not been so selfish, you would have been able to help them keep the monsters at bay until rescue arrived.**__'_

"No, I…" Link, still trembling, took a step back. The impact of his shoe with the floor sent a shiver up his spine. "I didn't mean…" He took another step back, shivering again. "This isn't what…"

'_**This isn't what you wanted?**__'_

"No!" Link cried.

'_**Then… do you want to fix it?**__'_

"I… I don't know how," Link said. He took another step backwards. His shoulders impacted with the wall. His body flattened out against the wooden surface behind him. He shivered again, but from the coolness of the wall this time. "And I'm scared," he added.

'_**Do you or don't you?**__"_

"Yes!" Link shouted. "Yes, I want to fix it."

'_**Good. Then pick up the sword.**__'_

Link looked down at the floor, down at the sword he'd dropped.

'_**Yes, that sword. That pathetic wooden splinter that boy gave you not too long ago. You broke the other one, you know. Your fear broke it. But I'll help you… this time. Just… grab onto it.**__'_

Link took a step forward, his leg shivering as he moved.

'_**That's it.**__'_

Link took another step.

'_**Yes. There you go. Now kneel and grab the hilt. Unleash your power!**__'_

"Unleash…" Link said, his voice trailing off. His eyes became transfixed on the sword. A warm, comforting wave of energy washed over him as he kneeled and stretched out his arm.

"Unleash my…" Link's fingers brushed past Zelda's leg on their way to the sword. The world around him darkened, as the light around the sword brightened. The weapon's wooden surface seemed to dance in the light, playing and dancing happily in contrast to the carnage around it.

"…Power." Link grasped the hilt.

'_**Yes… hehehe… Yes!**__'_

"**HA!**"

A force of energy pushed all the monsters inside of the school to the ground. Kratos had to spin out away from his position as the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. He snatched Lloyd with his other arm and yanked the boy back just as a glowing wooden sword sliced through the air where Lloyd once stood. He and Lloyd, along with everyone else, paced backwards until their backs met with wall.

"Oh no," said Genis, "not again."

The blow that missed Lloyd hit the monster next to him. And then the blow after that took out the monster behind that monster. Both of these slashes occurred in seconds as Link raced forward, cutting monsters in half with ever step he took.

The monsters in the room regained their footing quickly. The ones that survived Link's initial swath of cutting decided that attacking the greatest threat would be wiser than picking off the weaker foes. So all the monsters turned and charged toward Link.

Link leaped into the air as the first monster attacked him from behind. He brought his sword down and sliced the monster in twain on his way down.

Another monster ran at Link from the side. He stomped his foot and the floor board sprung into the air. A whole line of monster came up with it. Link roared and slashed at the line of foes. A beam of golden energy slipped from his golden sword and incinerated all the monsters.

A trio of hawks dive bombed Link. He flipped backwards and then jumped forward, bringing his sword down on the first bird. The other two birds swooped in a sharp turn and dive bombed him again. Two wolves also got in on the action, their feet rumbling on the wooden floor as they ran.

Link held his sword up in front of him. He then stretched it out to his left as far as he could get it while still holding it with two hands. The air around Link's body darkened while the swords, its blade already glowing, grew bright with Mana. Just as all four monsters came within range, Link unleashed the energy in his sword and spun around.

Link hit all four monsters in succession. His rotation didn't slow down after that, but in fact sped up. He then tilted toward the rest of the monsters looking for an opening to attack and slid in their direction.

Link's attack smacked into the wall of monsters and turned the school into the inside of a blender set to _obliterate_, sending already dissipating monster parts in all directions. When the attack finally finished, the monsters that had entered the room originally were dead and gone. More were still entering through the door, gnashing their teeth and falling over each other in an attempt to get at the people inside.

"**You want some more?!**" shouted Link. He lifted his sword and charged at the monsters. His foot caught in one of the floor boards and he fell down. His face smashed into the wooden floor. Link didn't move after that.

* * *

**Triet Base**

The technicians in the teleportation chamber were all frantically tapping their fingers on the touch screens in front of them. Their uniforms were drenched in spite of the cool air vent blowing full force on their backs. The large room was quickly coming online as the men activated systems in specific order.

The technician with the power readouts in front of him loosed a sigh. He reached his arm out and picked up the communicator lying on the console. With a squeeze of his fingers the activation button depressed and he said, "Boss, the power's fluctuating again."

"Are the other systems ready?" Hughes asked in return. "We'll only get one shot at this."

The technician glanced at his fellows and they all warily nodded. They each held up a hand, their thumb raised toward the ceiling. The technician with the communicator nodded back at them.

"We're ready," he said. "Just give me the count down."

"Alright," said Hughes. "Here's to hoping they're still alive. Five…

"Four…

"Three…

"Two…

"One…

"Activate!"

The technicians all pressed their fingers down on the screens in front of them. The lights in the room dimmed and blinked. The power running through the walls and the bypassed junctions and the jury rigged set ups hummed as Mana was gathered into the four nodes inside the room. A ball of white mist gathered in the center of the Teleportation pad. And then, within the time it takes to blink, the mist sucked into the center.

White beams of light shot from the four nodes into the small ball of white light formed by the mist. The machinery whirred loudly. Warnings went off on the screens in front of the technician.

He dove to the ground just as the screen exploded. The other techies dove for cover as well. A section of the wall fell from its mount, revealing a melting power conduit. Several of bypassed junctions exploded, showering the halls with sparks and heat.

And then the lights went out. The machinery popped and smoked. One of the nodes grew bright red. Nine figures appeared on the teleport pad and then the glowing node suddenly dropped and smashed loudly into the floor, shattering like glass.

The control console gave up the fight, exploded, and finally whirring to a stop. The power flowing through the room ceased, dropping the decibel from roaring overflow to a dull hum. Unsettlingly quick, the room fell silent in the darkness.

The emergency lights blinked on. The chamber was illuminated once more. Yuan lifted himself from the ground and brushed his sleeves off. Kratos was the next to stand. He sheathed his sword and brought his hands to his face for a rough rubbing.

"About damn time," Yuan said. He reached down and unclipped the communicator from his belt. When it was at his mouth, he squeezed down until the activator clicked. "Botta, I've returned with a few guests. They've got injuries that need taken care of. Would you contact the medical wing and have them report to the teleportation chamber with two stretchers."

"Yes sir," Botta replied over the communicator. "Uh… sir, there's a couple things that you need to know about."

"I will be in my office shortly," said Yuan, "meet me there."

Yuan clipped the communicator to his belt again. He turned to Kratos. "You coming?"

Kratos glanced over his shoulder at the others. Lloyd was helping Raine and Genis to their feet. Link and Zelda were lying side by side. Kratos turned his head back to Yuan looked into the other man's eyes.

"Alright," Yuan said. He turned and walked away. The door to the chamber opened as he approached and closed behind him. The technicians were already on their feet, going over the damage within the room. One of them was talking into a communicator.

"Is everyone all right?" Kratos asked. He turned to face the others. Lloyd looked up at Kratos from Raine's side.

"I'm fine," Lloyd said, "We're all fine, thanks to Link." Lloyd shifted and looked down at Link again. "I wish I knew what happened. That was so cool how he went all berserk like that and defeated all those monsters. And how did he do that spinning move?!"

The door opened and a group of men quickly entered the room. Two stretchers were pushed in, hovering a couple feet over the floor as they glided forward effortlessly. Raine helped the medical staff, one whom was a woman, load Link and Zelda on to the stretchers.

"We'll talk about it later Lloyd," Kratos said as he, Lloyd, and Genis were ushered from the room. Dirk grabbed some of Noishe's fur and gave it a tug. Noishe turned his head and cracked his mouth to let his tongue loll out as he breathed.

"Let's go Noishe," Dirk said.

* * *

**And that's all for this chapter. Hope you liked it. Review's are appreciated.**

**~I.K.A. Valian**

**

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**Posted: 9 - 24 - 09


	9. IX Chapter Nine

Legend!

The Forgotten Hero and the Eternal Swordsman

By I.K.A. Valian

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_**Chapter Nine: The Agreement

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**Debriefing**

Yuan reached down to bottom most drawer on the right side of his desk and yanked it open. He didn't wait for the wooden drawer to slide all the way out before he shoved his hand in and snatched a yellow gel-blob from the assortment of other blobs inside. He quickly shoved the Lemon Gel into his mouth, chewed, and swallowed. The cuts and scratches on his face and arms stung as the wounds closed up. He twisted his face and ran his tongue against the roof of his mouth.

"I hate Lemon Gels." Yuan sat in his chair for several seconds, letting recent events wash over him. "What was that kid?"

His door slid open. Yuan looked up and found Botta standing before him. He straightened his back up and crossed his arms over his chest. His cape, torn from the fight in the school house, finally gave up the ghost and fell from around his shoulders to the floor.

"Sir, there's been a development in Palmacosta…"

_***Several hours later…***_

When Link awoke, it was to a buzzing sound ringing in his ears. Opening his eyes revealed a world totally foreign, composed of white curtains, clean sheets, and some kind of noise making device next to him that was beeping every few seconds. When he tried to move his arms around the machine let loose another loud buzzing sound.

Worried that he'd set off some kind of an alarm, Link froze. A sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach grew worse when the curtains were yanked back and a man pointed a hand device at him. Link wasn't sure what the device was, but he was sure from the way that the guy was standing that he was being threatened with it. So he decided to not give the guy any excuse to hurt him and remained still.

A tall man with frizzled white hair in a stained lab coat suddenly appeared and maneuvered around the man holding the weapon. He came up next to Link and studied the beeping device for several seconds. Then he looked down at Link.

"You're name is Link, correct?" the man asked. Link nodded slowly.

"I'm Doctor Niskotvia, Hajifell Niskotvia," he said. Dr. Niskotvia snatched up Link's hand and shook it hard enough to make Link think it was going to rip off. "I've been asked by our illustrious leader, Lord Yuan, to assure your recovery and investigate the source of your entirely random and most shocking of transformations. Truly, you're a unique case, if I've ever seen one. And, I must say, I've seen quite a few mysteries in my time."

Link pulled his hand away from Dr. Niskotvia and immediately shoved it under his other arm, groaning lightly from the pain in his wrist. Dr. Niskotvia laughed jovially, rearing back as he let loose. Even the man with the weapon seemed to stand a little less rigidly.

"You must be fraught with wonder at what exactly I'm talking about," Dr. Niskotvia said as he crossed his arms. "I'll therefore tell you. You've got an enigma wrapped inside of a mystery embedded in your left hand. That little golden Triforce is quite like an Exsphere, from what my scans have shown me, except in reverse. In all my years I've never seen anything like it. Quite contrarily, that little thing doesn't draw on your life force to enhance your abilities but instead draws on your abilities to enhance your life force.

"It's quite a conundrum and I was betwixed by such a headache until I realized that it wasn't entirely like an Exsphere as I'd originally postulated to our dear leader." Link had never before been confronted with someone who spoke his language but didn't make any sense when he spoke. The dizzying slew of words rolled right over him and yet Dr. Niskotvia didn't seem to notice. "Yes, I was so gleeful about my stupendous discovery that I simply had to come straight down here and see for myself."

Dr. Niskotvia snatched Link's hand, this time his left one. "As you can see, the object has left a mark on your skin, quite like Exspheres do when first attached. However, this object is quite remarkable that its mark doesn't disfigure the flesh in anyway other than this mark. And the geometric shape of the mark reflects the object itself. Quite remarkable."

"Doctor," the man with the hand device said, "Are you sure it's safe to touch him? I mean, you heard what Lord Yuan said he could do."

"Nonsense," Dr. Niskotvia said. He turned his head as he spoke to the other man. "It's perfectly sa- Put that gun away this instant! He's not going to jump from this bed and strangle you to death. Why don't you go and tell Lord Botta that he's awakened?"

The guard's arms lowered in staggered steps until the gun was pointed at the floor. Then the guard turned and walked away. Link overheard the man mutter, "Don't know what he sees in him. Trust the Quack to feel safe around creepy little kids. This whole place has gone to hell ever since…"

"Don't mind him," Dr. Niskotvia said. "He's always been jumpy since the Pacman incident. Now, in order to get a more accurate reading, or more precisely, to figure out exactly what that object in your hand is capable of, I'm attaching this," Dr. Niskotvia snatched a bracelet from his pocket.

Without waiting for Link to see what it was, and with his hand still grasped, Dr. Niskotvia shoved Link's fingers through the large ring. The metal band immediately shrank to the size of Link's wrist. It was cool against his skin and slightly pinched when he moved his hand.

Link pulled his arm as hard as he could, but Dr. Niskotvia held on tightly until the device was done tightening. When the doctor let go Link immediately shoved his three fingers under the band and tried to pry it off. Dr. Niskotvia lightly smacked his hand away when he saw this.

"Tut, tut," Niskotvia said, "don't worry about that. It's merely a monitoring device. It won't harm you in anyway. When it's done measuring your potential it'll fall off on its own, so be patient."

"But…"

"Now, now," Dr. Niskotvia said, "do as the doctor orders."

"Link."

Link looked up from the wristband and saw Zelda. His eyes widened when he saw the man who'd kidnapped her standing just behind her left shoulder. He opened his mouth and tried to warn her, but the only thing that came out was a strained squeak.

"Doctor," Botta said, "is he alright?"

"I believe you frightened him," Zelda said. She walked forward. Once she was next to Link's bed, she said, "It's okay Link. He's not trying to kidnap me or kill me anymore. He's Yuan's friend and second in command around here. He was sent to bring you and I to a meeting with Yuan."

"Doctor Hajifell, you are needed in R&D," Botta said. "The Yggdrasil Project is falling behind schedule."

"Oh, quite right," Dr. Niskotvia said. He raised a finger into the air as he started walking, as if he were admonishing an invisible child. "I'm off to my laboratory to work on other great discoveries yet to be made." The three of them remained silent until Dr. Niskotvia gone.

"Lord Yuan asked that I escort you to him once you've gotten dressed," Botta said. "You're new clothes are over there." He pointed to a stool on the other side of Link's bed upon which a bundle of cloth lay.

Link looked at Zelda and she nodded. As she was leaving, he noticed that her hair wasn't as fancy looking as it was before. Instead it was now in a long ponytail held together with a string. Her clothes had changed as well. Her pink and white lacy dress from before, with all the holes, rips, and tears was replaced by a pale green dress, a brown belt, and a leather vest. She looked less a princess and more a member of the commoners. It was nice.

His attention was brought back to the present when Botta pulled the curtain closed. Link nodded to himself. He needed to get dressed. If the Princess wasn't alarmed by the person who had tried to have her killed, then maybe she had figured a way out of this already. After giving it some thought, Link figured that he trusted the Princess.

As he was hopping off of his bed, the full significance of that notion settled onto his shoulders. He trusted the Princess. He'd never felt this secure with anyone else before. It made him feel warm all over.

"Link?" Zelda called. "Are you nearly finished?"

"Um, yeah, just a minute," Link responded. He quickly shucked the white shirt he was wearing and started clothing. The shirt was green of a deeper hue than what the Princess had on and fit well enough. The pants were brown and were a bit too long, but he wasn't going to complain about fresh clothing. The only thing he had a hard time with was the three sets of belts that seemed to go with the pants.

"Link?"

"I'm done," Link said. He reached out and pulled the curtain back. He was pretty sure that he got the belts right. "I've never worn more than one belt before."

"It suits you," Botta said. "Please follow me." Botta turned and started walking. Link and Zelda followed. Botta signaled to two men who stood on either side of the door as they left the room. The two men fell into step behind Link.

"Why are they following us?" Link wondered aloud.

"It's because they don't trust us," Zelda said. Link glanced over his shoulder at the two men. They had bland expressions on their faces as they marched a constant two paces behind the two Hylians. "Or, more specifically, you."

"Me?" Link said. "But I didn't do anything to them. I wouldn't do anything. They remind me of the guards back in Castle Town, and they were terrifying on the best of days."

"Don't you remember what you did in the school?" Zelda asked. "You saved us all, but you went berserk to do it. Yuan asked me and Genis about it, but we couldn't really answer his questions because we don't really know what's causing it. But he didn't want to take any chances that you'd go crazy and kill everyone in the base so he put guards on you at all times."

'_That explains the man with the gun_,' Link thought.

"I vouched for you though…" Zelda trailed off as Botta walked up to a door and touched several buttons on a panel set to the side of it. The door slid open with a low whine and he walked in. "But that wasn't enough, apparently," she added as she followed Botta in.

Inside the new room was Lloyd, Genis, Raine, Kratos, Yuan, and two people Link had never seen before. Botta walked over to Yuan and said something quietly to him before he turned around and walked back the way he came. As he passed Link and Zelda, he motioned to the two guards and they followed him out. The door closed behind them.

"I see you've finally made it," Yuan said. "Good, now we can get started. I'm glad you're not going berserk again." Yuan looked pointedly at Link.

"I-I'm sorry," Link stammered out.

"Don't be," Yuan said. "You and your ability saved all of us. Now that you've had a chance to rest, I'd like to ask all of you about something." Yuan reached into his pocket and pulled something out. When he held it up, Link felt his blood freeze. Yuan was holding the black Triforce. He must have taken it from him when he was unconscious.

"Do any of you know what this is?" Yuan asked.

"Uh… a toy?" Lloyd asked.

"Isn't that-"

"Yes?" Yuan cut Genis off before he could finish his question. "Alright. I can tell from three of your expressions that you know exactly what this is. So tell me."

"It's a black Triforce like the one that we found in the Iselia Vortex," Zelda said. Her voice was strained as she watched Yuan grip the black Triforce tightly. "Where did you find it?"

"So that's what the black Triforce looks like," Raine said.

"I found it in his pocket," Yuan said, pointing at Link. "And that answers my question about where _you _found it. The Vortex, huh… I thought it was a myth."

"So did we," said Genis with a shrug, "until we fell into it and were nearly devoured by this giant spider."

"Okay, now why do you call it a Triforce?" Yuan asked. "Was that the name written near where you found it?"

"Actually…" Zelda trailed off and slowly turned to Link. Link looked down as attention was turned toward him. Gathering his courage up, meager as it was, Link lifted his left arm into the air to show everyone the tattoo on the back of his hand.

"That's one strange tattoo, man," said the man that Link didn't know. Link looked at him and found that he was rather odd looking. Pink overcoat and bright red hair. He looked like a clown that Link once saw.

"Is that supposed to signify something?" Kratos asked.

"It's the symbol of the Triforce. It only appears on those who hold a piece of the Triforce. Link has the Triforce of Courage," Zelda said. "It's a holy relic from the legends of Hyrule. Said to have been left with its two companion pieces upon the departure of the goddesses from the land. However, unlike the one you hold, the Triforce from Hyrule is made of gold."

"Gold, hmm…" Yuan frowned as he looked down at the black Triforce in his hand. "If there are three of those, there must be three of these. And I've already got one other. In fact, it is that one that currently powers this base."

"Not that this isn't fascinating," Raine said, "but discussing ancient relics can't be what you summoned us all here for."

"No, it's not," Yuan admitted. "I've got a proposition for Link and Zelda. Because they're from Hyrule, they've got as much stake in finding a way back home as we do finding a way there. According to what Kratos has told me, Yggdrasil took the Great Seed to Hyrule. The Great Seed alone can save this planet from exploding in a couple weeks."

"Exploding…" said Lloyd. "You can't mean-"

"I mean exactly what I said, Lloyd," Yuan said. "Both Sylvarant and Tethe'alla will be destroyed unless we retrieve the Great Seed from Hyrule and germinate it."

"And in order to even get to Hyrule or germinate the Great Seed, you'll need the Eternal Sword," Kratos said. He loosed a dry bark of laughter. "Impossible. Mithos took the sword with him when he left."

"Wait," Lloyd said. "Was this Eternal Sword thing that one sword that the angel in the Martel Temple stabbed you with? That would mean that was the Yggdrasil guy who did all of this. And he took Colette too. That means Colette is in Hyrule too."

"I've done some side research on Origin when Mithos wasn't looking. We can retrieve the Eternal Sword by forming a new pact with Origin," said Yuan. "The Chosen has been taken by Yggdrasil, that is clear, but for what, I'm not sure. However, if we don't save this planet first, we'll have no time to save anyone or anything Yggdrasill took with him. As it stands, we have very little time left. However, there's a machine my men and I can build that will channel the power of the Summon Spirits to hold the planet together until we've gathered all the materials. In order to get it built though, I need to stay here and can't escort these two around to each Seal to get the pacts." Yuan pointed at the man and woman.

"Then I'll help too," said Lloyd. "I'm going to rescue Colette. If it means I have to protect those two, then I'll do it."

"Absolutely not," Kratos said. "Under no circumstances will you leave this base."

"And why not?" asked Lloyd. "I'm strong enough to help. And someone's got to escort them."

"Yeah," said Genis. "I'm going too. If it means we can rescue Colette, I'll do anything."

"I agree with Kratos," Raine said. "However… I have a feeling that you'd both sneak out when we're not looking, so I'm going to allow this and go with you to keep you out of trouble."

"Aww man," the man in the pink coat groaned. "I am _not_ babysitting."

"I'm going to have to agree with Zelos," the woman next to him said. "This is going to be hard enough without having to worry about little kids getting in the way."

"You don't look too much older than me," Lloyd said. "How come you can go and I can't?"

"I don't need to explain myself to you," the woman said.

'_**You're weak.**_' Link gasped and immediately clutched his head. '_**You should be jumping at the chance to be stronger. Instead you're just standing here letting everything happen around you like it doesn't even affect you. C'mon boy. Get your act together. Or do you want to stand by and watch them all die when you could have done something to stop it.**_'

"I'll do it!" Link shouted. Lloyd and the woman both stopped arguing and looked at him. "I'll do it… I'll help."

Zelda nodded from where she stood. "I will go as well. If it means we can get home, I'll do anything I can to help."

"Great," Yuan said. He stood up and began walking around from behind his desk. "Then let's get-"

"Hold on, Yuan," Kratos said. "I don't believe this will work."

"Yeah," said Zelos. "What the old guy said."

Yuan let out an exasperated grunt. "Listen, both of you. I'm low on forces right now. Hell, I can barely keep the monsters at bay and I'm losing more men to injuries and death as the hours drag on. I am personally, desperately, needed in R&D because there are things that only I have the knowledge to build. I can't do this all on my own. I need help. And these two Hylians, even if Lloyd and his friends don't go, _can _help."

"So what do you propose?" Kratos asked.

"How about you test them." Kratos arched an eyebrow, prompting Yuan to continue. "There's a HATOD in the Training Room in the Basement. It's right next to the Teleport Room. Will that be acceptable?"

Kratos stared at Yuan. Yuan stared at Kratos. Then Kratos nodded. "That will be fine."

"So… what?" asked Lloyd. "Do we just need to take this test and if we pass, we can go? Oh man… I hate tests."

"If it's a test, then I'll need to brush up on my math," Genis said. "Sis, do you think you can help me review fractions?"

"It's not that kind of test," Kratos said. "It's a HATOD. It measures your fighting capacity by pitting you against virtual monsters."

"What's a virtual monster?" Lloyd asked. "Is it a tough monster?"

"No," Kratos said, "It's a computer generated monster that can be adjusted in difficulty."

"Okay, that's not so bad," Lloyd said. "Alright. You got yourself a deal. We'll go take this Hey Todd test and then we'll save the world and rescue Colette."

"Sheena, Zelos," Yuan said, calling out to the man and woman standing on the other side of the room. "You two should head down to the hanger. Williams should be preparing a vehicle for you to use. Kratos, the faster you're done the better."

"We'll only take an hour," Kratos said. Then he turned and started for the door. Everyone but Yuan filed out of the room. Yuan fell backwards into his chair and heaved a relieved sigh.

Out in the hallway, Zelos and Sheena turned left. Kratos led everyone else to the right. The two guards once more took up positions on either side and a couple paces behind Link.

"Well this turned out swell," Zelos said. "Now we got to babysit some country bumpkins."

"It is what it is, Zelos," Sheena said. "But if they actually turn out to be useful, it'll just mean we save Tethe'alla that much faster. And we both know that it's worse over there than it is over here."

"Yeah," Zelos said. He fell silent for a moment. Then a grin spread across his face. "I don't suppose you'd give me a good luck kiss, now would you?"

"Don't even think about it," Sheena snapped.

"Aww…" Zelos pouted. "And here we are about to head off into certain doom. I might just be the last man who's willing."

"Zelos, even if you _were_ the last man alive, I'd still have nothing to do with you," Sheena said. "And besides we're going after the Fire Spirit Efreet first, it can't be that hard."

Growing serious, Zelos asked softly, "Do you think you'll be able to handle it?"

Sheena grew quiet and slowed her pace. "I have to believe that I will. But… what if I fail? What if Efreet goes crazy and kills everyone?"

"Don't worry Sheena," squeaked a voice from nowhere. "I'll protect you."

Sheena smiled. "Thank you Corrine."

"Hey, don't sweat it, babe," Zelos said. "I, the Great Zelos, shall save you if that Efreet tries anything funny."

"Oh great," Sheena said, rolling her eyes. "Now I feel a whole lot better."

Zelos grinned and chuckled as the two exited the confined space of the hallways and entered the expansive hanger cut out of the nearby mountain. Instead of vehicles of one variety or another that this hanger was supposed to be filled with, there were hundreds, if not thousands, of people. Loud and noisy. Human and Half-elf. All refugees.

"I just thought of something," Zelos said.

"Oh?"

"What do you think HATOD stands for?"

Sheena shrugged. "I don't know."

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**And there's chapter 9. Thanks for reading.**

**~I.K.A. Valian**

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Posted10/6/09


	10. X Chapter Ten

Legend!  
The Forgotten Hero and the Eternal Swordsman  
By I.K.A. Valian

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_**Chapter Ten: HATOD**_

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**And the Journey Begins**

"Hmm," Yuan said. He watched a monitor as a large vehicle with four wheels passed through toward the exit of the vehicle bay housed within the mountain hanger. He didn't envy them. Not for the fact that they were going into certain danger, something which didn't really phase him. It was two things. One, it looked a bit cramped with all those people stuffed in there like a can of fish, and two, Kratos was driving.

"What is it, Lord Yuan," Botta asked. He frowned as he walked around the desk inside of Yuan's office. "Isn't that Kratos' group?"

"Yes," Yuan said.

"But I saw children with them," Botta said. "I thought Kratos was against taking them."

"That was the original idea," Yuan said, "but it appears that he had a change of heart."

"What do you think might have caused that?" Botta asked. Yuan remained silent, his eyes glued to the image of the vehicle entering the pitch blackness blanketing the desert outside of the base. Silently, Yuan reached out and grabbed a stack of paper clipped together from his desk. He lifted it up, still watching the screen, and handed it to Botta.

"This is a HATOD report," Botta said. The paper wavered in the air as he held it in front of him to read. "And one of Hajifell's reports. Are these Kratos' readings? I would have expected that someone of his stature would surpass a score of this magnitude."

"Kratos didn't take the test," Yuan said. Leaned forward in his chair and deactivated the screen with the flick of a switch. "They're Link's."

"Link… no, that's not…" Botta focused on the paper in his hands with renewed interest. "That boy?!" He slowly lowered the paper and stared at the space previously occupied by the computer screen. "That's…"

"Yes," Yuan said. "That's exactly what I thought as well." He stood up and walked at a steady, slow pace around his desk, his cape flaring behind him as he walked. Botta followed Yuan from his office.

"How does a boy that age have a power level over nine thousand?" Botta asked as the two of them walked into the hall and took a hard left. "Even that silver haired boy had more Mana than this kid when I scanned them upon arrival."

"It's a mystery to me too," Yuan said his boots thudding in a constant tempo as he moved. The two of them reached a junction in the halls. They took the left hall. "But what worries me more is that he can't seem to control this power. If Kratos hadn't decided to take them with him, then I'd have forced him to take Link anyway. Kratos should be able to deal with him when the time comes."

"I see," Botta said. The two of them came to a stop in another hall junction. "I must head back to the control room then. Shelcy has requested my assistance with the Yggdrasill Project."

"Alright," Yuan said. "Hajifell wanted me to help construct part of the project in R&D. Seems that the schematics were lost with Derris Kharlan. Good thing I've memorized them." The two men went their separate ways. Botta turned around and went back the other way. Yuan with his head down, his blue hair hanging past both ears, his brow furrowed in concentration, continued walking down the hall he was in.

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**What Lurks Within**

**One Hour Earlier...**

"Alright," Lloyd said. "This place is awesome!" He walked into the brightly lit room a few paces and stopped in the center of a large ring painted onto the metallic floor.

The room was longer than it was wide. From the entrance the room extended to the right, at the far end of which a bunch of exercise machines were lined up against the wall alongside a collection of free weights. The majority of the room was filled up with arenas, circles drawn on the metallic floor with a single light hanging above each. All the lights were off in the room except for the bulbs illuminating the entrance and one above the ring in the back of the room. In that ring stood a white-haired female officer talking to a glowing blue man. Their voices were too soft to be heard, but it looked like the woman was begging for something from the blue man and he was continually denying her. Since they weren't doing anything spectacularly interesting, they were quickly ignored.

"I am simply amazed at how advanced your people are," Zelda said. "The most advanced device we have in Hyrule is steam powered engines."

"This is advanced by Sylvaranti standards as well," Raine said.

"Since we only have an hour, we should get to it," Lloyd said. "We have to beat the virtual monster. Let's split up. Whoever finds it yell out so we can all gang up on it at the same time. I'll go ask that woman down there if she has seen it."

Kratos, at the back of the group, leaned against the wall. He stretched out his arm and tapped a button next to him. The light over the arena Lloyd stood in roared to life and a soft humming filled the air. As Lloyd and Genis attempted to figure out what just happened, Kratos folded his arms, his shirt ruffling as he stuffed his hands under the opposite arm.

"Remember our deal," Kratos said once everyone was watching him. "If you can beat the virtual trainer's standards, then you can come, otherwise, you stay. Now, look behind you."

"What?" Lloyd turned around. Standing in front of him, no higher than Genis, was holographic man. His image was blue and flickered every few seconds. "He looks like the guy over in that other ring," Lloyd said. "Do you know where the monster is we have to fight?"

*****_**I'm the Holographic Automated Training Optimization Device. You can call me TOD**_**. I am the one you fight.***

TOD held out his hand. Spectral particles the size of dust gathered into his palm and formed a sword. TOD swished the sword twice in front of him and then looked forward again.

*****_**I fight with those who wish to know the rating of their fighting ability**_**.***

"Fascinating," Raine said. She joined Lloyd in the circle and leaned in close to the holographic man. "I've never seen an artificial intelligence before. I suppose in keeping with your purpose, you calculate algorithms of probability and use them to attack your opponents." TOD turned his head toward Raine and nodded.

*****_**My purpose is to train and grade those who fight me. But at the core, my program is still controlled by a difference calculator**_**.***

"Absolutely incredible," Raine said with a giddy giggle. She spun on her heal. "Lloyd!"

"What is it Professor?" he asked in knee-jerk fashion.

"Fight TOD immediately," she said. "I will stand over there and study it."

"Uh… yeah," Lloyd said, watching Raine quickly skip from the circle. "I was just going to suggest that."

*****_**Battle commence**_*****

TOD lunged forward and knocked Lloyd to the ground with a sweep of his foot.

*****_**Battle complete**_**.***

"Wow Lloyd," Genis said, "I didn't think you'd go down that fast. I mean fighting is what you're supposed to be good at."

"H-he just caught me off guard," Lloyd said. His face was red enough to rival his jacket as he shoved himself onto his knees.

"You'll never succeed with that attitude," Kratos said.

"Lloyd!" Raine shouted as he stood. "Fight harder."

"Hmph," Lloyd muttered. He winced as pain shot up his leg from the impact. "Damn…"

Lloyd faced TOD and unsheathed his swords, flexing his fingers and wrists as he did so. He left his right hand sword pointing down and brought the other blade up and pointed it at TOD. At the same time, Lloyd shook his pained leg.

*****_**Battle Commence**_**.***

TOD raised his holographic sword, the blade flickering in the light shining on the two combatants from above. The two stared at each other for several tense seconds. Then, with a rustle of clothing, a stomping of boots, the two rushed forward.

**Clang**

Link's head jerked back, his ears ringing. He stood next to Zelda and Genis, both of whom followed Lloyd's movements with slight tilts of their head and swiveling of their eyes. As the moments piled on, as Lloyd and TOD went back and forth across the arena, as their swords smacking into each other, his own dread grew.

Cold sweat broke out across his forehead. A chill ran up his back, making his whole body shiver. His hands, sweaty and clammy, were idly fumbling with the hem of his dirty shirt.

"What have I gotten myself into," Link asked quietly. He felt that presence in the back of his mind laughing. That mixed with his unease to make him feel physically sick.

"Go to the right Lloyd!" Raine shouted.

Lloyd stopped and turned to look at Raine. "Wha-"

The green and brown material that made up Link's outfit was clenched instantly when Lloyd was run through with TOD's holographic sword. But the see-through blade never pierced Lloyd's chest. Lloyd stopped what he was saying and looked down at the flickering blade that had impaled him.

*****_**Battle Complete.***_

"Hey, no fair," Lloyd said. He limped back a couple steps. "I lost my footing when the Professor yelled something at me."

"In battle there no excuses," Kratos said. "If this had been a real battle, you'd be dead."

Lloyd clenched his hand into a fist, closed his eyes, and grit his teeth together. He turned to Kratos and pointed his right hand sword at Kratos. "I'd like to see you do better," he said.

"This isn't a game," Kratos said, deadpanning.

_***Battle score results. Lloyd Irving, seventeen years old, power level five hundred. Fighting proficiency: Beginner Intermediate. Spell Skill: None. Sound control over basics, but lacks concentration or substantive strength. Potential: Excelent. Active duty status instated End of analysis.***_

"What?!" Lloyd said, turning back to TOD. "That's it?! But I was just getting started."

*****_**I can analyze you again…***_

TOD raised his sword. Lloyd did the same. Before the two could go at it again though, Kratos said, "No, Genis is next."

Genis' shoulders hunched. "Wish me luck," he said half heartedly.

"Be careful, Genis," Raine said. "You know you're not that good at physical activity. But…" Raine sucked her bottom lip into her mouth. "If you can, would you try to get him into the air? I want to see how the holographics react."

Genis frowned. "I'm not sure how I'll do that, but I'll do my best." He stepped walked into the arena and came to a stop in front of TOD. The light above set his face into stark relief. Genis forced his legs wider apart and pulled out his Kendama.

*****_**Genis Sage. Class: Spell Castor. Change mode to Magic Stress Test.**_*****

The small blue man vanished and was replaced by a red holographic rabbit.

*****_**This monster will take one step forward with every spell you cast or after fifteen seconds. The more powerful the spell, the faster its life points decrease. Defeat the monster before it reaches you.**_*****

The number fifteen appeared over the red holographic rabbit's head.

*****_**Battle commence.**_*****

"Alright…" said Genis. "So I just have fifteen seconds to cast a spell or it will take a step regardless. I can do this."

Genis twirled his Kendama around, sending the ball into the air. He jerked it left, then right, his eyes closed. The red ball left streaks of light in the air as red Mana built up around it. Genis' lips moved slowly as he said the incantation with a quiet urgency.

Just as the rabbit lifted its foot into the air, Genis stabbed the main body of the toy forward. It smashed into the ball, and at the same time, Genis shouted, "Fire ball!"

Within seconds three balls of fire crackled to life in orbit around the red ball impaled on Kendama. They immediately became the size of grapefruit and launched forward. They screamed through the air and impacted with the rabbit with a loud boom, blowing it completely away.

The number fifteen went to zero and the hologram was replaced with another. This time a red wolf stood where the rabbit once existed. The number thirty appeared over the new monster.

Genis stared at it. The wolf took a step forward. Genis nodded and lifted his Kendama again. After the same casting sequence, another fire attack impacted with the wolf, draining its life to two.

"Okay," Genis said, his Kendama already whipping about as he charged the spell up again. "Fireball only does 28 damage. That means I need to attack the monsters after this with more power or multiple times. The life points doubled so the next time… Fireball!"

The attack shaved off the last two points of the wolf. It disappeared and was replaced with a large spider. The number sixty appeared over its head.

"Ah, I was right," Genis said. "Then I'll need to put a little extra power into this spell to take it down faster." Genis waited a few moments longer than he had previously, during which the spider took two steps forward. "Fireball!"

The attack obliterated the spider, taking out all sixty of its life points. It was replaced with a hawk, its life points showing as one hundred and twenty. Genis, breathing harder, reached up a hand and rubbed the sweat gathering on his face away.

Genis took a deep breath, and began casting again. Only this time, the swings were much larger and the glowing trail left behind by the red ball was longer. A frown crossed over Genis' face before he grinned.

"I got it!" he said. "Burn!" Genis stabbed the red ball as before, only no balls appeared. "Eruption!" Red Mana encircled the holographic Hawk and a field of Mana erupted from the ground. The force was so powerful the light above the arena was lifted into the air and pressed against the ceiling.

*****_**Warning: Dangerous Mana Levels. Engaging Shield.**_*****

A hazy blue barrier dome flickered into being. It ran the perimeter of the circle painted on the floor and reached to just below the light swinging above. The fire Mana residue was quickly absorbed into the shield, merging with the blue energy like snowflakes melting on a heated metal plate.

"Whoa!" Lloyd said. "That was amazing Genis!"

"Quite Lloyd," Kratos snapped. "Or do you want to interrupt Genis' concentration as well."

Lloyd furrowed his brow and twisted his lips into a scowl aimed at Kratos. Kratos remained stoic and watched as Genis began casting again. The new monster, a fire elemental, absorbed the fire spell and continued advancing. The number above its body grew from two hundred and forty to two hundred and sixty eight.

"Wha… Oh no," Genis said. "It absorbed the spell because it's a fire element."

"Genis, use a water element spell," Raine said.

"I'll try, but I'm not as good with this one…" Genis said. His breathing was quite labored now and his shirt was drenched. He took a few moments to catch his breath, during which the elemental advanced three times.

Instead of whipping the red ball around as before, Genis began swinging the red ball around in a circle. Blue tinged Mana enveloped the ball. The Mana formed a ring in the air over Genis.

"Aqua Edge!" Genis snapped his wrist downward, pulling the ball forward suddenly. When it was within range, he stabbed forward with the body of the toy. The pointed end missed the ball, but the spell went off anyway. Disks of water flew at the fire elemental, splashing against it and exploding with a loud whoosh directly into steam. Number above the elemental dropped to two hundred and fifty.

"Only eighteen!" Genis cried. "I'm almost out of Mana, I'll never beat it if I can only damage it eighteen!"

"Don't give up Genis!" Zelda shouted.

"Yeah," said Lloyd. He curled his hand into a fist and punched the air. "You can do anything if you try! I know you can beat that thing!"

"Yeah, okay," Genis said. He turned to Lloyd and nodded. He lifted his Kendama into the air and started swinging the ball around once more. When he faced the elemental once more, it smacked into Genis right between the eyes.

*****_**Battle complete.**_*****

"Ack!" Genis fell backwards. He landed on his back, his chest heaving, and sprawled out spread eagle. Lloyd ran forward and kneeled next to the downed mage. Raine appeared on his other side.

"Genis, you okay?" Lloyd asked.

"Genis, are you alright?" Raine asked. She reached down and gripped Genis by his shoulder. With a small grunt she lifted him into a sitting position. "Are you hurt anywhere? Do you feel any pain?"

"Sis…" Genis said, "I'm exhausted… Ugh... Lloyd, remind me never to cast that many spells at once again."

*****_**Battle score results. Genis Sage, twelve years old, power level two thousand. Fighting proficiency: None. Spell Skill: Sixty percent. Has almost perfect control of Mana in its raw form and adapts to new spells quickly, but lacks a diverse range of attacks. Potential: Immense. Active duty status instated. End of analysis.**_*****

"Wait," said Lloyd. "Why does Genis get two thousand points when I only get five hundred?"

"The computer is scoring you based on the amount of damage done," Kratos explained as Lloyd and Raine helped Genis out of the ring. "It is only natural that magic, if cast properly, can do more damage than any sword strike."

"Is that why you know magic?" Lloyd asked. He and Raine set Genis back down onto the floor once they were a good distance away from the ring.

Kratos nodded. "It would be foolish of me to deny the usefulness of magic to accentuate my battle prowess." Kratos nodded toward Zelda. "I'll assume that since Miss Sage uses healing magic that she won't be fighting. Miss Hyrule, if you would…"

Zelda looked to the side of the room, her hair whipping about. "I'm afraid that since my magic is sealed, I'll be unable to take this test."

"I assume that you've been trained in some form of self defense besides magic," Kratos said, "What weapon are you trained in?"

"I can use a bow quite well," she said. "I-"

Kratos pointed to his right, where a weapon rack lay. Nestled among the tools of death was a tall bow with a quiver stuffed to bursting full of arrows tied to it.

"I… suppose that will do," Zelda said. She calmly strode to the side of the room and picked up the bow. After loosening the string holding the quiver to the bow, she slung the bow over her shoulder. With her other hand, she brought the quiver to her waist and used the strings to tie it securely to her belt.

"Hey Link." Link turned from watching Zelda. Lloyd and Genis were just behind Raine and were motioning him toward them. He glanced nervously back at Zelda, his eyebrows scrunched up with concern. Then he shook his head and went to see what the two wanted.

"Link," Genis said. "It looks like you're next."

Link turned his head and cast his eyes on the floor. "I know," he said in a quite tone. "I'm trying not to think about it."

"Do you think you're can go Hero Mode again?" Lloyd asked. "That's so awesome what you did back in the school."

"I don't know if I can," Link said. "I don't think I can make it happen when I want it to happen. It's like, that sort of thing only happens when my life's in danger. But…"

"What is it, Link?" Genis asked.

"I don't think I'll get any stronger if I rely on Hero Mode to save me all the time. And… I don't really like it, but if I'm going to make up for what I did in the Vortex, then I need to be strong enough to face my fears on my own." Even though he felt the words leaving his lips, heard them with his ears, a part of him was screaming to run like Ganondorf was chasing him. Link tried to quash the impulse, but he couldn't get his arms to stop shaking.

"Alright," Zelda said. TOD reappeared as her feet moved within the circle. "I'm ready." Zelda gripped the bow in right hand and pulled an arrow from the quiver with her left. She quickly knocked the arrow and drew the extremely taught string backwards. The grainy fibers in the string creaked as they drew tight.

*****_**Archery Mode engaged. Phase one: Accuracy and power.**_*****

TOD morphed into a green target with a bulls eye at the center. Zelda drew the arrow back even farther and released. The arrow sped quickly across the arena and buried itself into the center of the target. The target faded and another appeared a couple feet to the left.

Zelda quickly drew another arrow, knocked it, drew the shaft back, and loosed it. The arrow sunk into the center of the target again. That target faded and another appeared in the air above where the original target sat.

Zelda reacted to the next five targets to appear, snapping arrows into the center of each seconds after the target shifted. The process sped up after that, forcing Zelda to pull arrows, draw, and fire faster. It got to the point where she could no longer hit the target before it disappeared, but she kept on going.

"Wow," Lloyd said. "I've never seen anyone shoot that well before." Genis and Link nodded in agreement.

*****_**Phase Two: Simulated combat.**_*****

TOD reappeared and raised his sword into the air. He charged forward and slashed at Zelda. She jumped to the side, an arrow already knocked and drawn. She fired, sending an arrow directly into where TOD's heart should have been.

Link watched, the cold sweat on his brow making him shiver. He was freezing. He turned away from Zelda dodging another blow from TOD before firing another arrow into his body and glanced at the others. Lloyd was punching his fists out left and right, rooting loudly. Genis and Raine were watching quietly, as if entranced. Kratos had his hair in his face, so Link couldn't tell what he was doing.

None of them were giving any indication that they were cold. '_What's wrong with me,' _Link wondered. '_I can't be afraid anymore. I won't be. But then why am I so cold? Why can't I stop shaking?_' Link knew the answers, but didn't want to accept them.

"Ugh…" Zelda fell to the ground, a holographic sword jabbed into her abdomen. She looked down at the blade and pressed her lips together. "I guess that's it for me."

*****_**Battle score results. Zelda Hyrule, sixteen years old, power level seven hundred fifty. Fighting proficiency: Intermediate Expert. Spell Skill: None. Excellent accuracy, power, and concentration under stress, but lacks stamina. Potential: Excellent. Active duty status instated. End of analysis.**_*****

"I suppose the computer is unable to scan through the seal on your magic," Raine said. She tucked on hand under the opposite elbow and brought the other hand up to tap against the side of her head. "Now that I think about it. Lloyd did use some techniques in his battle. Why didn't it register those as Spell Skill since they use the same Principles of Mana Preservation?"

"Techniques and Spells manifest differently," Kratos said. "However, we're almost out of time and there's still one more person to test." Kratos looked at Link.

Link swallowed. A deep hollow sensation filled his gut and his ears roared as blood rushed to his head. For a moment, Link's vision swayed.

"Link, are you alright?" Zelda asked. She stepped from the circle to Link's side. Her eyes curved down as she gave Link a pitying look.

Link looked down, his hair sliding past his pointed ears. His lips trembled. A tear slid down his cheek. "I…" he gasped. "…really don't want to fight. But… Before, I always thought that the world hated me, that no one cared. But then I learned that people like Lloyd and Genis exist. People who didn't care how weak I was." Link took another shuddering gasp. "They accepted me for who I was and then I went and nearly got Genis and the Princess killed.

"I…" Link sniffed loudly and whipped his head back and forth. Determinedly, he looked up and stared at the arena and TOD within. "I don't want to be afraid anymore. I don't want to be the kind of person who hurts others. I want to be better than that. I…" Link lifted his hand up in front of him, the Triforce mark on the back of his hand illuminated from the lights overhead. "I have to be better than that."

"If you are speaking truly, then step into the circle and prove it," Kratos said. "To help others you require the strength to do so. Do you have the strength to help… or not?"

Link nodded. A fire burned in his eyes, one that wasn't there before. Link turned on his heel and rushed into the ring, tripping, and landing on his chest.

"Link, are you all right?" Lloyd asked. He took a step forward, but stopped forward movement when Link jerked his hand up.

"I'm… fine," Link said through a gasp for air. He forced himself to breath, filling his lungs in quick gasps. He clenched his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut. His head and the skin on his face buzzed. It felt like the world was spinning. Nevertheless, Link pulled his arms underneath his chest and pushed his upper body backwards.

Once on his knees, Link blinked twice. TOD stood in front of him, his holographic sword at the ready. Link felt a trill of fear run through him once more, begging him to think logically and run like hell. Link shivered as he brushed that thought aside and stood. He drew his lone wooden saber and took up the same position TOD was in.

*****_**Battle commence.**_*****

TOD took two steps forward. In the process, he hooked his sword under Link's, lifted, and sent the wooden weapon flying into the air. With his holographic foot, TOD kicked Link in the gut and knocked him to the floor. The wooden sword landed next to him on the ground.

*****_**Battle complete**_**.***

'_**Here we go again.**__'_

'You!' Link thought. 'Go away! I'm doing this without you!'

*****_**Battle commence.***_

Link snarled as he grabbed the sword on the ground next to him. With a cry he leaped from the floor and swung the sword upwards at TOD. TOD blocked, spun clockwise, and kicked Link again, sending him back to the floor.

*****_**Battle complete.***_

'_**You're pathetic. Not wanting to hurt people anymore? You're a weak little coward. I can feel it now. You can barely suppress it. You want to run away. You don't really want to be stronger. You'd be much happier letting other people do all the work, feel all the pain. Pain you caused, by the way.**_'

'No,' Link shouted in his mind, 'No I don't. I want to stop them from hurting! I don't want to be afraid anymore!'

*****_**Battle commence.**_*****

Link rolled backwards, landed on his feet, and leaped forward. He quickly brought his sword up high above his head. TOD quickly stepped forward, grabbed Link's shirt, and heaved. The added momentum threw Link's balance off and he impacted the floor with an audible thud on the opposite side of the arena.

*****_**Battle complete.**_*****

Link coughed, a spattering of red appearing on the floor under his face. Link gulped for air, opened his eyes, and felt his heart freeze. He was in the back of an alley inside Hyrule Castle Town. Where TOD once stood Lanieu now towered as he leered down at him.

"What's the matter, Link?" Lanieu jeered, a sneer appearing on his face as he spoke. "Too rough for you? Maybe I shouldn't be doing this!" Lanieu swung his leg back and kicked Link in the abdomen as hard as he could. Link's eyes bulged as the air was force from his body. He even felt himself leave the ground for a second or two.

Link wheezed and coughed, more blood appearing on the floor. The fear that he'd been suppressing was released as Link caught his breath. His pupils shrank to the size of dots as a panic set in. His muscles clenched and any thoughts of what was happening to him or how he'd gotten back to Hyrule were bleached from his brain.

'_**Oh, look at that, you really are afraid. Too afraid to even fight back. You just want to lie there and take it.**__'_

"Yes," Link said. "I'm afraid."

"What was that Link? I can't hear you." Lanieu kicked Link again. "Speak up!"

'_**Look at him.**__'_

"No," Link said. "I can't. I can't!"

'_**Look at him!**__'_

Link's head snapped to the side. His head and body shook as he gazed up at Lanieu. Lanieu snarled and went to kick him again. And just like in the school house, time stopped.

'_**Look at your tormentor. He's so big and scary.**__'_

"Take me away," Link cried, closing his eyes and burying them in his arms. "This is a dream, take me away! Make it stop!"

'_**I said look at him!**__' _Link's head snapped to the side again, his eye lids popped open, and he took in the terrifying sight of Lanieu.

"Who... who are you?" Link asked. "Why are you tormenting me?!"

'_**I'm am you. I am... your pain. All these years as you've gone through life feeling afraid, I was chained up in the back of your mind, absorbing all your righteous fury. And now I'm free. And I want revenge. You want revenge too.**_'

"No," Link said. "No, I don't!" Link tried to look away from Lanieu once more but his neck was frozen.

'_**Yes, I can feel your terror. So blind and all encompassing that it overrides everything else. But there's more in here than fear. I know you can feel it too. It was released as I was. The anger. The hate. They're as much a part of you as I am. Up until now, your fear has kept them at bay, but your fear is no longer strong enough. Look at him, Link. Look at him and feel your anger.**__'_

The longer Link stared at Lanieu, the more he felt his fear slipping away. He traced the grotesque lines of Lanieu's face and felt his terror replaced with disgust. He let his eyes roam over his tormentor's body, straining to harm him, and felt his muscles harden with anger. He looked into Lanieu's eyes, saw the fires of hatred within them spread to his own, and felt the overriding panic in his heart harden into a diamond of pure hatred.

"I…" Link said. He reached his hand out and grasped onto the hilt of the wooden sword. "I…" Link stood up, his body shaking, his muscles jerking under his skin. "I…" Link raised his head and looked directly at TOD, but he wasn't seeing TOD. "I HA**TE YOU!**"

*****_**Battle commence.**_*****

* * *

**So here is chapter 10. The next chapter may be a while, perhaps a month, but I'll aim to get it out before the end of October. The reason I got these last three chapters out in one week increments has been because they were originally all part of the same chapter. But it was so long I was able to split it into four parts. Luckily I was able to cut out one part cause it really didn't serve any purpose. So you get a better story. Anyway, review if you like. Thanks for reading.  
**

**~I.K.A. Valian

* * *

**Posted 10/8/2009


	11. XI Chapter Eleven

Legend!

The Forgotten Hero and the Eternal Swordsman

By I.K.A. Valian

_**Chapter Eleven: The Fire Seal I

* * *

**_

**Unlikely Reinforcements

* * *

**

**Triet Base**

"Lord Yuan."

Yuan looked up from the electronic board on his desk. He pushed his glasses onto his forehead and set aside the solder pen as Sura approached his desk and saluted.

"Sir, there's been a disturbance among the refugees and Sergeant Williams asked me to pass on his request for you to meet him on the base roof."

Yuan nodded, waving two fingers at Sura. "Thank you Private Elist. You're dismissed."

Sura saluted. She grimaced and slowed her hand down, making sure to salute properly. The bridge of her nose still held a slight red color from the last time she mistimed the maneuver. Spinning on her heel, Sura marched quickly from Yuan's office and then dashed down the hall.

Yuan shook his head as he stood. He turned off the soldering pen, grabbed his cape from the back of his chair, and walked from the room. As he turned down the hallway, his thoughts escaped to the corridors of old Triet. The ancient capital of the region destroyed millennia ago by an enraged Efreet.

* * *

**Triet Desert**

"…desert is… c-c-cold!" Lloyd and Genis both had their arms hugged tightly against their bodies. Kratos glanced over his shoulder at the two of them, shoved into the corner of the back seat next to Link and Zelda. The whine of the electric motor rose as the open air, four wheeled vehicle carried eight people up a particularly large sand dune.

"W-while I'm not inclined to disagree," Raine said from next to Kratos, "I believe that this form of travel is the only means of arriving at the Fire Seal in a timely manner. S-so just bear with it for now."

Zelos, who was wedged between the metal side of the Rheound and Kratos' rather sharp elbow, had a sour face up. He and Sheena were both being blasted with the most air as the vehicle rolled quickly across the expansive desert. Sheena wasn't affected by the wind as much as she was fussing over holding Corrine in her lap. The small creature wiggled left and right, trying to get his head out the side of the vehicle so he could hang his tongue out of his mouth.

Zelda, with a hand behind her head to hold her hair down, turned to the side and cast her gaze as far as she could into the darkness. It was too dark to be night and the stars above were growing dimmer by the hour.

The sand dunes went by in the darkness as minutes of travel droned on. Their passing was like wraiths. The hills of sand loomed out of the darkness one second and were gone the next. How Kratos managed to navigate in the dark desert was beyond any of them.

_**Thump**_

At some point after leaving the base lights behind, Link started to reflect on himself. He wasn't afraid anymore, that much was obvious. If he had to describe how he felt now, it felt more like there was a fire burning inside of his chest. It didn't hurt too much right now, but when he was fighting TOD, it felt like he really was on fire.

_**Thump**_

The fight with TOD was a blur, when Link thought back on it. He remembered the vision he had, seeing Hyrule, and then suddenly becoming so angry that he just couldn't see straight. He just had to attack whatever it was in front of him.

_**Thump**_

_**Thump**_

Still, now that he'd calmed down, he could see the situation a bit more clearly. This world was dying. Maybe because of him, maybe not, but the fact that it was dying made the fire in his chest burn hotter. And then there was the fact that Ganondorf could be doing something downright bad to his home. That made him angry too. The more he thought about it, the more he-

_**Thump**_

The more he became-

_**Thump**_

Link frowned and looked down at the floor where his feet sat. He listened for a few seconds for the noise to repeat itself, but nothing happened. Link shrugged and settled back into the seat.

_**Thump Thump THUMPITYTHUMP**_

Lloyd leaned forward. He stomped his foot on the flooring and then looked up. "Kratos, what is that?"

"I believe you should all grab hold of something," Kratos said calmly. His hands tightened around the steering wheel, the leather of his gloves squeaking.

"Huh?" asked Genis. "Why would we need to hold on? It's not like it's that bumpy."

"I am about to accelerate the vehicle," Kratos said.

_**Thump**_

"If you do not wish to be thrown out, then I suggest you hold on." Kratos turned his head far enough to look over his shoulder with one eye. The light from the dashboard in front of him illuminated Kratos' face and put an extra menacing glint in the corner of his eye. "That is if you wish to continue on this journey alive."

Lloyd scowled as he reached down and grabbed the edge of the seat. Zelda and Link did the same. Genis latched onto the side panel. Raine grabbed the dash board in front of her. Sheena and Zelos grabbed the doors.

The burst of speed was quite sudden, the electric motor's whine becoming twice as loud. The thumping became constant and everyone began bouncing in their seats. Zelda was sure she left the seat several times before she noticed what was going by the side of the vehicle.

"Are… are those…?" she trailed off, letting the unspoken question hang in the air.

"Yes!" Kratos shouted in response.

"Holy Katz on a Rheaird!" shouted Zelos.

Monsters, scores of monsters. Kratos was driving straight through a hoard of monsters that transformed the desert into a sea of flesh, scale, and exoskeleton. That was what the other thumps had to of been, monsters. Kratos was running monsters over with the Rheound.

"How much longer until we arrive at the Fire Seal?" Raine shouted over the noise.

"We're a little over half way there. However, I believe we have more important things to worry about," Kratos shouted. "There is something big following us. It's gaining speed. Whatever it is, it's much bigger than anything I've run over so far."

"What?!" Sheena craned her neck without giving up an ounce of the hold she had on the door. No matter how much she tried, she couldn't make anything out beyond monster carcasses. "I can't see anything!"

The vehicle launched into the air as the sand swelled right underneath them. Seconds before the Rheound landed, a great mouth pierced the sea of sand. It was mostly bone, the jaw and skull having scant amounts of flesh attached to them.

"Martel have mercy," Raine uttered, her eyes glue to the monstrosity that began to chase.

"Hold on!" Kratos shouted. He gripped the steering wheel tightly as the Rheound landed roughly on the sand. The landing bounced everyone out of their seats.

Zelda and Genis nearly fell out, and would have, had Lloyd not grabbed both by their belts and pulled. They didn't have much time to readjust themselves because Kratos was swerving the Rheound back and forth, fighting to regain control after the rough landing. Lloyd pointed at the giant skull with glowing eyes illuminated by the tail lights just a couple yards behind them.

"What is that thing?!" he shouted.

"I don't care what it is," shouted Zelos, "how do we kill it? It looks like it's already dead. Do we use magic?"

"Look at it," said Sheena, "it looks like it's swimming through the sand. Like a fish!"

Indeed, the monster was swimming through the sand. Its glowing eyes were zeroed in on the racing Rheound in front of them. Those in the vehicle could just make out a tail swishing back and forth behind the great monster.

"No matter how large a monster is, if it is undead, it should have the same weakness as a regular sized undead monster," Raine explained. "Lloyd, hold onto Genis so he can cast. Genis, use fire."

Raine turned to Kratos. His eyes were glaring death at the desert ahead of them. The path was clear now, the smaller monsters scared away by the bigger one chasing them.

"Fireball!"

Genis launched three balls of blazing light at the crusty old fish monster. The monster roared and dove into the sand. It resurfaced after the balls of fire had passed.

"Oh no!" Genis shouted. "It's not working!"

"Try again!" shouted Lloyd.

Link turned to Zelda. "Princess, I'll hold on to you while you use magic." Zelda nodded.

Link grabbed onto Zelda's waist as she turned around and kneeled on the seat cushion. Raine, Zelos, Sheena, and Corrine all had their eyes trained on the monster chasing them. It was steadily gaining on them, even though it several times dodged fire attacks by diving.

"It's too fast," Genis shouted to Zelda. "Is there a way to speed our attacks up?"

"I think I might have an idea," Zelda shouted back. She performed the Din's Fire spell once more and cast it out. However, instead of letting the ball of fire leap from her open hand, she kept her fist clenched.

The ball of fire sped toward the monster, which dived again. Genis frowned and opened his mouth to say something. Zelda pulled her clenched fist to her chest and held it there.

The fish monster burst out of the sand, ready to resume its chase. Zelda unclenched her fist. The monster let out a roar as an explosion went off on its right side.

"Wh-How did you do that?" Genis asked.

"I'll explain later," she responded. "I don't think it should take too many more of… oh Nayru."

They watched as the fire consumed the body of the undead fish monster. The only problem with this was that the undead fish monster became an undead fish monster that was on fire. It became faster, and the heat now surrounding the fish was making the sand fuse into glass.

"Talk about a burning desire to win," Zelos shouted. "That thing's not going to be stopped with fire. Step on it old man!"

"We're almost out of fuel," Kratos shouted back. "Kill that thing before it kills us!"

"I wish I'd had a chance to use this spell before now," Zelda muttered. She let out a stressed burst of air and shrugged her shoulders. "No time like the present then."

"Did you say something?" Link asked.

"Just hold me steady," she said. No one was paying attention to her or Link as they conversed about what options they had left.

Zelda extended her arms in front of her, palms together. "That which banishes the darkness is bound to that which seeks truth. Great Goddesses, lend me the light of truth which destroys those who lie in darkness."

A ball of light appeared between her palms. She drew her left hand straight back, stretching the ball of light between her two palms, until her left hand was even with her shoulder. The ball of light, now a glowing arrow, pointed directly at the head of the monster.

"Zelda?" Raine looked up at the now blinding light emanating from the arrow. "What are you doing?"

"Hold me steady Link," she said, ignoring Raine while aiming the arrow. The light continued to get brighter and brighter, lighting up that portion of the desert as the sun once did many hours ago. And then the arrow was released.

The bolt soared through the air, a line of light left in the bolt's wake. It sped faster than the eye could follow toward the flaming monster. Upon impact there was a great explosion that nearly knocked the Rheound over and threw the great monster into the air. It flew upwards, roaring as it disappeared into the darkness.

Zelda slumped her shoulders and she breathed deeply. Relief spread out from the center of her being along side an equally large wave of mental exhaustion. Link released Zelda and the two of them flopped back into their seats.

"That was awesome!" Lloyd shouted, grinning like an idiot. "That explosion was huge!"

"Amazing," Genis said, sporting a grin to match Lloyd's. "I've got to learn that spell!"

"That monster's not dead yet!" Zelos shouted. He raised his arm and pointed into the sky. "It's coming straight for us! Go faster old man!"

Kratos' shoulder hunched as he floored the accelerator. The Rheound lurched and the tires dug into the sand, spinning crazily, but getting the vehicle nowhere. All eyes looked at Kratos. Kratos glared at the steering wheel.

"We're stuck," Kratos said in a monotonous voice. Without looking, he shoved Zelos out. "Get out and push, _young_ man."

Everyone in the vehicle quickly jumped out alongside Zelos, save Kratos who was continually pushing on the accelerator. Sand spit up into the air like a fountain as all of them pushed the Rheound into new patches of sand.

"We're not going to make it," cried Genis.

"Just keep pushing," Lloyd said.

A loud flapping noise rose above the wheezy whine coming from the Rheound. Everyone's attention however, was on the vehicle in front of them that wasn't budging. As it grew closer, they pushed harder, their fear overtaking the rational conclusion that the thing was just too heavy to push.

With the swiftness that benefits their species, a giant eagle swooped in, latched onto the flaming undead fish, and flew away. Kratos, with his superior hearing, noticed the Doppler change in the fish's roar as it started getting farther away. He turned in the seat and watched the bird disappear into the distance with the flaming zombie fish wiggled in its claws.

"Come on, Kratos!" shouted Lloyd when the sand ceased being thrown into the air. "Don't give up!"

Kratos looked down at the dials on the dashboard in front of him and an unhappy grimace settled on his face. He leveraged himself out of the Rheound and approached the still heaving group behind the vehicle.

"The monster is gone," he said, throwing a thumb over his shoulder. It was now that they noticed the lack of flaming roaring undead fish about to crush them. "I believe we're only a couple minutes walk from the ruin entrance. We will walk the rest of the way."

"What about the Rheound?" Sheena asked. "We'll need it to get back to the base."

Kratos paused, already half way up a dune, and looked back over his shoulder. The fading battery provided the headlights enough power for everyone to see. But that was quickly fading, taking the light with it.

"The fuel is completely spent," Kratos said. "It would be wise to get started in the correct direction before we lose our sight to complete darkness."

Everyone else adopted similar expressions to Kratos as they began trekking up the sand dune after him. The light lasted longer than anyone anticipated, but eventually Kratos was forced to pull out a piece of wood and lit the end of it with a spark of electricity from his hand. Light firmly in hand, Kratos led the group across the freezing sand dunes. The disturbing darkness that became the hallmark of their travel could only be matched by the eerie way that the sounds they were making were the only sounds they heard.

"Man, that old man has got to lighten up," Zelos said after a while. "I mean, here we were, just about to get eaten by an undead fish the size of my mansion and he's up and off like nothing happened."

"I think he's just being efficient," said Genis, joining the conversation in an attempt to ignore the desert around him. "The faster we get this done, the faster we can save Colette and the world, right?."

"Still," said Lloyd. "Kratos could stand to be a little nicer."

"Will being nice keep you alive longer?" Kratos asked from the front of the group, the opposite side of the group from Lloyd, Genis, and Zelos. Zelos slowed down a bit, the shock etched onto his face mirrored by Lloyd.

"He can hear us." whispered Lloyd. His attempt to warn Zelos was futile.

"Like a bell," Kratos said. This conversation took place without Kratos slowing down or looking back. In fact, Kratos sped up his pace, leaving the rest of the group lagging behind.

"Way to go, Zelos," said Sheena. "Why did you have to go and open your big mouth?"

"Me?!" Zelos put his hand on his chest as he stared at Sheena's back questioningly. "A big mouth? Me?"

"Quite, all of you," Raine said. Her voice went higher with each word she spoke. "We're here!" Practically skipping through the sand, Raine was quick to take the lead from Kratos as the group entered the ruins of old Triet.

Crumbling stone columns led down a main thoroughfare. Sand was piled up wherever one could look. Any building with the misfortune of proper construction still stood. But their roofs were collapsed and sand spilled from doors and windows. It truly was, as so many had aptly put it over the centuries, a ruined city.

"Wow," said Lloyd.

"Yeah, I know," said Zelos. "This place is totally-"

"FANTASTIC!"

Raine bolted from the group to mold herself against one of the pillars. Seconds later she was feeling up the remains of a stone statue. The group barely managed to blink before they found Raine stalking up next to a broken pot that she began rubbing her face against.

"Look at all these utterly fantastic ruins! Oh, feel their wondrous surfaces! Think of all the knowledge lost to the sand save for the few pieces of information stored in these precious relics." Raine sighed. "They're just waiting for me to unlock their secrets. It's only a matter of time! Ahhahahahahahah!" Raine cackled madly, ignorant of how the group carefully edged away from her or how Kratos ignored completely her and everyone else as he walked by.

"Genis," said Link, "what's wrong with your sister?"

Genis remained silent, his face buried in his hands. As he shook his head, Raine continued to literally throw herself at the relics scattered about the ancient town, buried in the sand. Zelos was watching Raine's flirtatious antics amongst the ruins with a suspiciously critical eye until Sheena elbowed him in the side.

"Let's go," she said, "we have a job to do."

Genis went to work prying Raine off of a half broken, sand filled vase while everyone else moved on. When they caught up, they found Kratos already leading the group into the ruins. Raine's face fell slightly, but she quickly picked right up and raced inside.

The insides of the ancient Triet ruins were not pitch black, like the surrounding landscape. There was light inside there, coming from the well of magma one level below. Its orange glow filled the hazy hallways of the first level where the group gathered. Kratos quickly tossed his half spent torch to the side of the hall when it was apparent that he didn't need it anymore.

"So this is the Triet Ruins," said Lloyd. He swung his arms back and forth a couple times. "It sure is warm in here. Much better than that freezing desert outside."

"Normally, these ruins would be unbearably hot," Raine said. She wet a finger in her mouth and stuck it into the air above her head. "There's no air flow at all moving through these halls. That means all the heat is being bottled up somewhere further in or…"

"Or what, Professor?" Lloyd asked.

"I think she means that something might have happened to Efreet," said Genis. "With all that's going on, it wouldn't surprise me."

"Come on," said Sheena. "You guys can't be giving up now."

"Yeah," agreed Zelos with a nod. "After getting across that huge desert and being chased by the zombie fish from hell, you want to get all pessimistic now? Uncool."

"Examining the possibilities we might be faced with is a logical course of action," said Kratos. "However, Efreet still holds some sway over this place. As Lloyd noted, it is warmer inside than out, and there is still light. We should take these things as a sign that Efreet is holding on to what power he has left." Kratos started walking down the hall. "Let us continue."

Kratos led the group down the hall toward a large set of stairs. Their footsteps echoed off the cracked floor as steam spiraled lazily up around their feet. The hazy red light grew brighter the further they went.

The hallway led down a set of stairs to the level below. Almost immediately the hall branched off in two directions while a door filled with orange light sat directly in front of them. Kratos turned right.

The end of the side hall had another glowing door, through which Kratos confidently strode. Surprising everyone, the stoic man instantly stopped in his tracks once on the other side and remained totally still. He threw his hand out to stop anyone behind him foolish enough to try and walk past him. Lloyd looked under Kratos' arm and saw a giant, bubbling puddle of lava.

"The warp pad is gone," Kratos said. "I hadn't anticipated this."

"What do you mean, the warp pad is gone?" asked Raine. "What warp pad?"

"It is as I said, the warp pad used to get to Efreet's chamber is gone," Kratos said, "consumed by magma." He turned and walked slowly back into the hallway. As he passed everyone by, he didn't give them any impression that he was giving up.

"The old man knows another way to the seal," Zelos said. Kratos paused as he passed Zelos to stare at him. Zelos shrugged the look off nonchalantly and crossed his arms. "So where are we going to have to travel now."

"Only the Summoner, Chosen, and myself need go from here," Kratos said. Before Lloyd could retort, as his opening lips and raising arm predicted, Kratos continued. "The ruins of the city that must be traveled through are far more dangerous than what happened in Iselia. It would be safer for the rest of you to remain here."

"We're coming t-"

"I agree with Kratos," Raine said, cutting Lloyd off. Before he could argue she shook her head, firmly letting him know with a stern gaze that her decision was final. "We would only get in the way Lloyd and that would mean this journey would take longer." Raine looked at Kratos. Their eyes met. "We will stay here," she said.

Zelos gave an apologetic shrug as he followed Kratos. Sheena frowned, but followed as well. Lloyd had his lips pursed and his hands were shaking fists.

"Damn it!" shouted Lloyd. "How am I supposed to get stronger if I can't fight?! How are we supposed to save Colette if we can't help?!" He turned and punched the brick wall. The action knocked some of the built up soot loose and revealed a glyph of some kind. "I feel so useless," Lloyd added in a much calmer tone, the indignant rage suddenly drained from his voice and posture. Raine ignored her student, however, and zeroed in on the glyph with the precision of a hawk.

Lloyd quickly found himself on the floor as Raine barreled past him. He looked up from his new spot and saw Raine furiously rubbing the rest of the wall. More and more glyphs were quickly revealed. He tilted his head to the side and watched in confusion as his teacher rubbed at the wall like her life depended on it.

"What have we got here," she said in a husky rasping voice.

* * *

**Triet Base**

"Let me get this straight," Yuan said. He uncrossed his arms and jabbed a finger at the group of humans standing in front of him. "You want me to give you more control over what my men do simply because you're staying here?"

"The only thing between us and the monsters outside this base are the walls," said a balding man. His round midsection jiggled as he animated his speech with hand gestures. "We feel like we've been rescued only to be pushed to the side as you go on doing whatever it is you want. As if we don't even exist. We might as well not even be here for all the attention that's been given to us. And besides, some of us here aren't comfortable with our benefactors being sub-humans."

Yuan's fist clenched. He had thought that he would be done dealing with people like this. Especially after four thousand years. Setting aside the internal debate as to which way he nail this impudent human to the wall, Yuan took a deep breath and settled a glare on all fifteen men and women in the room. His gaze drifted back and forth until he was sure that everyone had made eye contact with him.

"Are you telling me that you would rather be outside these walls to fend for yourselves?" Yuan asked. "Because that's easily accomplished. All I need do is open the bay doors. There's a couple beasts out there right now, howling at the base."

"Hmph," snorted a woman to the side. "Just like a Half-elf to do such a thing. I'd expect nothing less from you."

"You don't need a rebellion on your hands," said another man, "I suggest you accept our terms."

Yuan shook his head. "That's not going to happen," he said. "I also don't believe that you'd incite a rebellion for three reasons. You're power over the people out there doesn't extend that far. You need us as more than we need you. And finally, you'd lose any rebellion that could be started. My men are trained and armed far better than you are with your pitchforks." Yuan shrugged, knowing full well that he'd called their bluff, even if the more bull headed members of the group were too arrogant to realize or admit such a thing. "Besides, once we fix what's wrong with the world, then you'll all be sent back to where you came from. There won't be any need for you to be here anymore."

"And how long with that take," the fat man asked vehemently. Sweat was glistening on his swollen face. "We're more likely to be shipped off to the Human Ranches before we're released. And even if you do release us, our homes have been destroyed. We've got nothing to go back to!"

Yuan nodded, understanding dawning on him. These humans weren't here because they were looking out for the welfare of their fellow humans or even because they hated half-elves. They were afraid that this was the only home they'd know from now on. They were willing to use whomever they needed to get into a position to dictate their own destiny. As it was now, they were just refugees with no place to go and no guarantee on a future for themselves or their families. They couldn't even fight to protect themselves. Add to that their inbred fear and prejudice of Half-Elves and the assumption that Martel had abandoned them.

'_It's a wonder they're even asking for this,_' he thought. Yuan tilted his head slightly as he looked at them again. He could see it, the restless fear of not knowing, of despair. Perhaps he could use that.

"How about this," Yuan said, his voice less harsh, but still firm. "Instead of rebelling or demanding to be in charge, you do things my way." Yuan held up a hand to head off any objection. "The way things are right now, we're under staffed. Most of our soldiers were out in the world, undermining Cr- the Desians. And whether you believe that or not, we're still undermanned right now."

"What does this have to do with us?" asked a woman. "We're the ones who were forced from our homes."

"I believe he's asking us to join him," the fat man said. His voice was softer than when he spoke before. His eyes were also downcast, indicating to Yuan that he appeared to actually be considering his proposal.

"Never!" shouted a man. "I'll never join forces with a sub-human Desian Half-Elf. I'd rather die first."

Yuan forced himself to keep quite as a debate broke out among the group of humans. He glanced up at Botta, who stood at the back of the room next to the door that led to the rest of the hanger. Botta arched an eyebrow, as if to ask 'what now?'. Yuan imitated the expression and gave an irritated shrug.

It seemed the humans were almost evenly split, some wanting to accept while those in whom prejudice had rooted the deepest were against it. Several times, Yuan had to hold himself back from lashing out against the visceral language being used, his own long memory conjuring many images of hatred that hadn't changed in over four thousand years. One of the humans mentioned the Goddess Martel, which started up another argument in the group. The question becoming what she would have wanted them to do.

That's when the idea popped into Yuan's mind. It was crude, and very dishonest. It went against everything he swore to Martel that he'd do after he decided to work to defeat Cruxis. But the appeal of the plan was just too simple and easy to pass by. It would bring about a new dimension of self loathing for him to contemplate later on, but he'd accept the consequences if it worked. A smiled played at his lips when a small voice in the back of his head whispered Botta wasn't going to like this.

"It's funny you mention the Goddess," Yuan said.

Though none of the humans could sense it, Botta easily felt the sudden increase in the Mana levels in the room. Botta's thought processes stopped as the plan Yuan was going to execute became clear. '_No..._' Botta thought, '_he wouldn't..._'

"Because there's something I think all of you need to know," Yuan added.

The most outspoken of the racist humans snarled as Yuan entered their conversation once more. "Like hell we'd listen to what a filthy… sub… hu- What in the world?!"

A woman gasped. "It's… it's… an angel!" She fainted and fell backwards into the man behind her.

"Wh-what is the meaning of this?!" shouted the fat man.

"The Goddess hasn't forsaken her people, though she could not stop their suffering," said Yuan, adopting his most calm and holy-like persona. It was something he cultivated over several hundred years, and not something he'd ever thought to use again. '_Martel, please forgive me,_' he thought, imagining his lost lover's stern face looking down on him in disapproval.

"But… how? Why are we suffering then?" asked a younger man closer to Yuan. "I don't understand."

"The truth is…" Yuan said, stretching his wings while moving them back and forth behind his back. Their sparkle entranced the men and women in the room. Botta's eyes looked about ready to join his tongue and jaw on the floor. "The truth is the goddess has been held hostage by Cruxis for the last couple hundred years. After she fell into slumber, a few angels ignored her edict to wake her and started to take advantage of the people for profit and gain. Those of us who were against this were cast out of heaven as the Corrupt Angels revived the Desians. And what is happening to the world right now is the result of the Goddesses continued slumber. If she's not awoken soon, the world will truly be totally destroyed."

"So… the legends were true," said the fat man. He quickly fumbled over himself as he realized how unfaithful that sounded to the Goddess' messenger standing right in front of him. "I- uh… I mean, of course they were true. And that would explain why the Desians came back as well."

"I don't know," the most racist man present said. "Why would the Goddess Martel make a… a half-elf her angel."

Yuan's mouth twisted, but he repressed the urge to blow the human up with a blast of electricity as he said, "The goddess herself crafted each of us by hand. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her…" Yuan fell silent as he let the irony of that sentence sink into his own mind. "It was my assumption that the goddess loves all creatures, no matter what their outward appearance is. So if I look like a Half-Elf, then it's probably because the goddess loves Half-elves."

"Sounds fishy to-"

"Quiet Marvin," an elderly woman barked. She poked him in the side with a bony finger. "Say another word to the Goddess' messenger and I'll throw you out the door myself. It's blasphemous to speak ill of an Angel and you know it. Why if I were younger, I'd-"

"Please," Yuan said. He held his hands up. "I didn't come here to cause strife. I'm here to save this world. Once I've accomplished that, I can… return to heaven."

"How can we help revive the Goddess?" asked the fat man. "We'll do what we can."

"I suggest that you do as Lord Yuan suggested and join our forces," Botta said. Finally recovered, the second in command took a couple steps into the room and nodded at Yuan. "We are in need of more able hands to keep the defenses up and protect everyone here. Anyone that does will be properly trained in the facilities we have in the base. We are, however, out of room in the barracks, so I'm afraid you'll have to sleep in the refugee camp."

"Joining and helping will not only help serve the goddess and save the world, but it will allow those who join to speak up the command chain and have more input in what goes on around here," Yuan said. "But be forewarned, it's a military command chain, so you might be ordered to do things you don't fully understand. If you can accept that, then there shouldn't be anything standing in your way of helping save your world... and everyone you know."

Yuan added the last part as an added push. They didn't need to be told their families and friends lives were at stake, but it didn't hurt to remind them that what they decided here would affect everyone. The last thing Yuan wanted to deal with was an uprising in the refugees started by some racist humans.

The humans all looked at one another. Silence reigned for a few minutes as what he said soaked in. For a second, Yuan thought he could see them begin to resist the idea.

"Do you believe it would be possible for us to deliberate in private?" the fat man asked. "We won't be long."

"Of course," Yuan said. He and Botta left the room and took up positions on either side of the door. Yuan ignored the curious look from Botta asking if he knew what he was doing.

Minutes later, the door opened. The group of humans filed out into the hanger and stood before Yuan. The fat man pushed the man who was the biggest racist forward and mumbled something under his breath with an angry frown on his face. The racist man scowled as he approached Yuan and Botta.

"I… apologize for all the nasty things I and my fellows have said. Also, we have decided to accept your offer to help you revive the goddess and save our world." The man looked at Yuan, asking with his eyes for Yuan to forgive him at the same time that they revealed the human's heart would never betray the racist within.

Yuan didn't waste any time deliberating over this. He knew they wanted to have some role in saving or protecting themselves. And they did have a need for more man power. "Training starts right here in four hours," Yuan said.

* * *

**Triet Ruins**

Three men ran forward, their boots kicking sand as the marched in step toward the entrance of the Fire Seal. Trailing behind the tree was another man, his face hidden in the shadows. They all stopped in front of the door, which was open.

"Sir, it appears that someone has already opened the door. It could be a trap. Are you certain you wish to procure this piece personally?"

"I'm sure, lieutenant," the shadowed man said quietly. "I want to retrieve each piece of the Proto-Triforce myself. Lead the way."

"Yes, my lord!" The man saluted and marched into the entrance, followed by the two other men. The leader chuckled lightly to himself and went in.

* * *

**Thus concludes Chapter Eleven. We're finally getting into the main quest. Sure it took a while to set up, but this story's freaking huge!**

**Thanks for reading. Review's are appreciated.**

**~I.K.A. Valian**

**

* * *

**Posted: 10/20/2009


	12. XII Chapter Twelve

Legend!

The Forgotten Hero and the Eternal Swordsman

By I.K.A. Valian

* * *

_**Chapter Twelve: The Fire Seal II

* * *

**_

**Not In Love Does Evil Come

* * *

**

**Triet Ruins – Lloyd & Co.**

"Damn… this stinks." Lloyd sat on a rock to the side of the hallway. Behind him, Raine and, to his surprise, Zelda, were scouring over the wall carvings that were discovered. However, none of that was interesting and he wanted to go follow after Kratos. The professor wouldn't even let him throw rocks into the magma. Did she want to make him go insane? "Damn," Lloyd repeated. "This stinks."

"Lloyd, you always get bored of everything," Genis said. He remained stoic even as Lloyd scowled in his direction. "You need to learn some patience."

"I'm patient," Lloyd said emphatically, pointing to himself with his thumb. "I'm as patient as they come, but I don't like sitting around doing nothing when there's probably something I could be doing to help. Maybe Kratos got into trouble and needs us to rescu-!"

"Lloyd!" Raine said, her voice deep with warning. Lloyd, half standing, drooped his shoulders and sat back down. "Stay, good."

Lloyd groaned and Raine went back to her work. Zelda used a piece of cloth she'd pulled from a pouch attached to her belt to rub the soot and other grime from the glyphs on the wall. Since Lloyd's first discovery, the two of them had discovered that the entire wall was covered in them.

"I've never seen a language like this before," Raine said, her voice high with giddiness. "I must be the first one to see this in at least a couple hundred years. Think of all the knowledge I could gain about the ancient people of Triet if I could translate this!" Raine clasped her hands together in front of her. "Simply marvelous!"

"Princess," Link said, speaking for the first time in a long while, "it looks like the writing in that other place… the place we got that black Triforce."

"Yes," Zelda said. "But it's much harder for me to read than the Hylian I saw there. It's more-"

"You mean you can read this!" Raine practically jumped on top of Zelda in an attempt to grab the younger woman's shoulders. Link, the poor boy, was unfortunately in the way and the two ended tangled up on the ground. Once the two got back to their feet, Raine coughed and attempted to regain her composure. "What does it say?" Raine asked, her voice strained.

"It says something about Fire, and a Sacred Temple, but as I was going to say before, this dialect is even more warped than the one before. I can't even understand some of these symbols." Zelda pointed at a glyph portraying a man with a sword. "This I know means Legend or Hero. And this," Zelda pointed at a flame next to a building with spires, "means fire and temple."

"What about the rest of it?" Lloyd asked, standing up.

"You want to know Lloyd?" Genis asked. "I thought you were bored."

"This stuff is getting interesting…" Lloyd said. He shrugged his shoulders and looked at Zelda. She was studying one of the glyphs that looked like a dragon made out of polygons.

"I'm not sure, but I think it's a warning," Zelda said at last. "From my studies, I learned dragons were only used by the ancients to either literally say dragon or to imply great danger that comes with one being nearby."

"Do you think it has anything to do with that riddle?" asked Genis. Raine turned to Genis, quizzically frowning at him. He kept his face blank and looked away, suddenly finding the wall more interesting.

"What is this riddle, Genis?" Raine asked with an innocent voice, as if she was asking about the weather.

"When we were in the Iselia Vortex, we found a riddle engraved in ancient Hylian similar to this that sounded like a warning and a poem," Zelda explained. "Neither of us could make heads or tails of it."

"The sun burns with the passion of the elders. Its rays of light shine though the enveloping darkness to the surface of the world. Where the elder's passion does not shine, great walls of glacial ice form. Where the elders' passion shines, the great glaciers form pools of endless tears. The air howls with the sorrow of the people. The gods above strike down all that is evil with their hammers of light. Then the world is at peace." Genis recited the poem word for word. When he was finished, he looked to Zelda, who nodded.

"Fascinating," Raine said. "It would seem that every element was mentioned in that poem. You said you found it in the Iselia Vortex?"

"Yes," Zelda said with a nod. "Right next to the pedestal that held the black Triforce."

"Hmm…" Raine stepped back and viewed the entire wall of glyphs. "The elements listed in order are Fire, Light, Darkness, Ice, Water, Wind, Lightning, and Earth. That's all eight elements. And considering that the poem was in such close proximity to the black Triforce, it's possible that poem was a riddle describing where each piece of the black Triforce is. Fire was listed first, which would lead anyone who read the poem to the most fire related area on the planet, here…" Raine trailed off for a moment as she became lost in thought. "These symbols are in ancient Hylian, a language we can only associate with the Triforce and the black Triforce. It stands to reason this fire temple you mentioned is the next location mentioned in the riddle." Raine closed her eyes and nodded. "Perhaps the ancient city of Triet had legends of a lost temple from ancient past that waited for a hero to come and defeat a fire temple. I think… we need to find a way into this 'fire temple'."

"Oh, I get it," said Lloyd. He closed his eyes and nodded to himself, his hair shook but did not stir from its anti-gravitational position above his head. "If we find another black Triforce, then we can bring it back to the base and that Yuan guy can increase the power of the base and save the planet faster."

"Wow, Lloyd," said Genis. "You almost sounded smart."

"Reall-Hey!" Lloyd attempted to swipe at Genis, but the shorter half-elf ducked out of the way. A grin wound its way onto Genis' face as he continued to elude Lloyd's grasp. The two of them began to make a ruckus all about the hallway.

"If the next piece of the black Triforce is here," said Zelda. "Where is it?" She looked back at the glyph covered wall and tilted her head to the side. Her hair dangled lower as she thought silently.

"Perhaps this wall has the clue that leads to the entrance of the temple," Raine said. "If only I could understand it, I might be able to figure this out."

Link looked at the wall trying to figure something out, but it was totally foreign to him. He was forced to step closer to Zelda to avoid Genis and Lloyd's antics. He lost his balance and fell into her side. She immediately reached out to a still blackened part of the wall.

The weight of two bodies forced the brick under the soot to sink into the wall. This sent both Link and Zelda to the floor as she lost her grip on the wall.

A loud scraping noise caught everyone's attention. The bricks and mortar in the wall opposite the glyphs crumbled into sand. Revealed was a pathway littered with dust, more sand, and cobwebs.

"Oh look, a secret passage." Lloyd said. He pointed at the new path and grinned. "Alright, now things are getting interesting."

"You're just going to get bored again," Genis said as he shook his head. "Maybe you should stay here and we'll go in there to see what we find."

"Shut it, Genis," Lloyd said, stiffly walking into the new path. Genis covered his mouth as he snorted. Raine shook her head as she followed the two boys. Zelda pushed herself to her feet and held out her hand toward Link.

For a moment he stared at it, strange emotions washing through him. '_She's helping me again... I'm still too weak to be a Hero if the Princess has to help me. I've got to try harder._' Shaking off the strange things his emotions were doing, Link grabbed Zelda's offered hand.

The two of them followed after the others. They were too far down the hall to hear the large, heavy, metal door when it slowly ground down over the entrance. The great metal bulk easily entered into its slot and locking mechanisms fell with loud clunks.

* * *

Three men approached the sealed passage just moments after it finished locking. They inspected the door and the wall opposite it. One of them reached up and pushed on the brick that had moments ago opened the door. Nothing happened.

"I see that they found their way into the temple," a fourth man said from the shadows behind the other three. "Is the switch even working anymore?"

"No, my lord," the soldier responded. He put his hand back on the blackened brick and pushed again. It remained stiff and flush with the bricks around it. "It's not even budging."

"I see," said the lord. "Then we shall travel to the Fire Seal and use the second entrance. Lieutenant, take point."

"Yes, sir!" the soldier saluted and jogged back up the hallway. The other men followed quickly on his heels. The lord stood for a moment and studied the door. Then he too turned and walked off.

* * *

**Triet Ruins – Kratos & Co.**

Kratos deftly hopped, skipped, and jumped from stone to stone. His cape was flapping madly in the fierce updraft caused by the magma his feet were inches away from. The fierce winds made his agile figure appear to be dancing in the wind, a wind that prohibited flight.

Once on the other side of the river of Magma, Kratos took up a position on a rock as he watched the other two. It would be dangerous indeed if he was forced to fly in and save either one of them should they fall, but they were imperative to the plan Yuan had cooked up. The fact that even he wasn't willing to fly across the red hot magma made him pray that they'd make it across without fail. That said, he knew he could make it to them fast enough to save them from certain doom if he was forced to. But it was better to conserve his energy at this point.

Sheena crossed next, mixing handsprings and flips into the dance of crossing. By the time she made it to the other side, her gloves were smoking and her obi was singed black on the edges. She busied herself with making sure that nothing was on fire while Zelos started his crossing.

"Whoa!" Zelos said, wobbling as he jumped from one rock to the next. "Ahh…" Zelos carefully made his way to the last three rocks. In three quick leaps, the Tethe'allan Chosen made it to shore.

"Did you see that?" Zelos shouted. He pumped his fist in the air. "I'm on fire!" Kratos chuckled.

"Yes," he said, "you are."

Zelos threw a thumbs-up at Kratos. "Ya see, it feels good to live a little now and then, doesn't it old man?"

Kratos arched his eyebrow but said nothing. His smirked remained though. Zelos regarded Kratos with caution, unsure if the old man was up to something.

"Zelos!" Sheena shouted. "You're on fire!"

Zelos grinned. "Well it certainly took a while, but I knew you'd take a shine to me again some day Sheena."

"No, Zelos," Sheena cried, running forward with a card out, "You're on fire. Your jacket is burning!"

"What?" Zelos spun around and caught sight of the ends of his jacket smoldering. "Whoa! Put that thing out!"

Sheena threw the card she was holding and sliced Zelos' jacket in half. The card and the smoldering jacket flew off into the river of magma. They caught fire and burnt to ash before ever getting near the molten rock. Zelos skipped about the area, holding his butt like it was still on fire.

Kratos shook his head and started walking down the next hallway. The magma river had cut through a part of the ancient city that once held a palace of some sort. This was the fourth stream of magma they'd had to cross so far. The seal itself was buried at the center of an ancient temple. That temple used to be adjacent to the palace, if Kratos' memory of the place hadn't deteriorated. At the rate they were traveling, they'd be there within the hour, if their luck held out.

Kratos glanced back at Zelos, who was now rubbing his cheek. Sheena, fists clenched, stalked away from him. It was a sore scene that had already happened several times so far.

With a deep sigh, Kratos ignored them and continued down the hallway. At this rate, he felt they were all doomed.

* * *

**Triet Ruins – Lloyd & Co.**

"This is boring."

"See," Genis said. He pointed his finger at Lloyd. "I told you."

"Yeah…" Lloyd said. He twisted his mouth in embarrassment. "But... this is really boring. The only things in this hallway are dust," Lloyd pointed at the dust, "and bugs." Lloyd pointed at the bugs.

"Not everything is going to be exciting," Genis said, "especially when we're exploring ancient cities."

Lloyd threw his head back and groaned at the ceiling. "This wouldn't be so bad if there was at least _something_ different every now and then, like a room full of gold, or a treasure chest... heck, I'd take a fire breathing monster, anything but this…"

"I'm afraid I must agree with Lloyd," Zelda said. "This whole time we've just been walking down one hallway. Admittedly, it seems we've descended into the earth quite a ways." Link suddenly covered his mouth as a yawn a Goron would envy escaped his lips. The long moan and escape of air eventually ended, and when it did, Link found himself the center of attention.

"I think we need to find this temple," Raine said, "before we all fall over from exhaustion."

"Yeah…" Lloyd said. His eyes drooped slightly as he caught Link's contagious yawn.

The group traveled until minutes seemed like hours. Lloyd took up scraping one of his swords against the wall, carving a line in the stone with the metal blade. The sparks coming from the interaction of steel and stone made Genis frown and Raine balk.

"Lloyd!" Raine shrieked. "Stop that this instant!"

Lloyd instantly pulled his sword away from the wall. It was as if the wall had grown a pair of lips and yelled at Lloyd instead of Raine.

"Lloyd," Genis said, "where did your wooden swords go?"

Lloyd ignored Raine as she attempted to smother the wall with affection and brought his sword around in front of him. He studied the reflections on its surface as he answered. "When we were back in the base, before we left, one of the people in that hanger gave them to me. He said that Dad gave them to him to deliver. Dad couldn't do it cause he was busy. I didn't mind." Lloyd paused before he muttered in a much quieter voice, "Not really."

"Perhaps Dirk was crafting something for someone else at the time," Zelda said. "He seems like the type that wouldn't ignore someone in need."

"Yeah," Lloyd said. He nodded and grinned. "That's Dad for ya. But… I really would have liked to see him before we left. That'll just have to wait till we get back."

"Dirk is fully aware of what you are capable of Lloyd," Raine said. Her voice still shook slightly as she glanced furtively at the wall. "He sent you those swords as a sign that he trusts you and that he expects you to come back alive. Not that you will if you keep desecrating these ruins."

"Uh…" Lloyd swallowed and kept looking forward with a stiff neck, ignoring the scathing glare Raine had trained on the back of his head. "Yeah, sure…" Lloyd's voice trailed off and remained silent for a moment.

His eyes refocused after the reflective moment, and a determined stare met the path ahead of him. His pace picked up and a new energy entered his posture. "I swear that I'll go see him when I get back. He shouldn't be left alone in a time like this."

"I'm sure he'll be fine," Genis said and lifted his hand into the air, pointing down the hall. "He is a Dwarf after all. In the mean time, I think we've arrived."

"I see it," Lloyd said, "let's go!" Lloyd entered the room and eagerly looked about for something, anything, new and exciting.

The area they were in was walled off by a set of rusting bars. Beyond the bars was the rest of the chamber. A large door stood on the far end, a giant key hole evident on its wooden surface.

"This certainly looks like the place," Zelda said. "There's a lock on that door, so… I'm not certain, but in Hyrule, I've read that the temple's there always hid their greatest treasures behind a door locked with a chain no mortal could open."

"Hmmm…" Genis said. "Judging by the size of the lock and the links in the chain, I'd say that door won't be opening without some kind of giant key or magic spell. Princess, you wouldn't happen to know any spell that could unlock something that large?"

Zelda shook her head. "No, sorry."

Genis' face fell. He'd hoped that she had another spell in her bag of tricks that could have solved this problem. At length, he shrugged and turned to Raine when he saw she might have an idea.

"How do we get over there?" she asked. "These bars look badly rusted, but they're so thick that they may not be weak enough to break."

Lloyd, having been thinking along the same lines, already had his swords out and promptly tested Raine's theory on the bars by smashing his twin blades against them. The blades were repelled with a resounding metal ping that echoed in their ears. Lloyd sheathed his sword and shook his hand out.

"It's like you said, they're too thick." Lloyd continued to shake his hand out as the others inspected the bars and the walls surrounding them. Stalagmites and stalactites had encrusted over the edges and made it impossible for any of them to discern where the bars connected to the wall or how they connected.

"This is pointless," Genis said. "Even if we did figure out how these bars were attached to the wall, how would we get to the connection to dislodge them?"

Link was following the edge of the wall down to the floor when he spotted something under his foot. He stepped backwards with his eye trained on what he'd found. It was a symbol that looked a lot like the glyphs on the wall earlier.

"Hey, uh…" Link said. "There's something on the floor."

"Oh my," Raine said, looking down at the floor and finding a glyph right between her feet. "It's beautiful! Link, that's fantastic work!"

Everyone quickly cleared away, either from good reflexes on their part or Raine's. She didn't waste time as she got down on her hands and knees and started brushing the dirt and dust off. In quick order, five glyphs were unveiled, all of them the same.

"What do these say?" Rain asked, craning her head to the side to look at Zelda. She moved to the side as Zelda approached and studied the images.

"I'm not entirely sure…" Zelda said at last. "At least, I'm not sure if it is what I think it is. It appears to be a symbol that means 'life', but it's so mangled that I'm not sure that is what it's supposed to be…"

"I think you're doing great, Princess," Link said. She smiled at him. It didn't seem like she believed him though, and her gesture was more of an attempt to reassure him.

"Hmm…" Raine mumbled. "What does 'life' have to do with fire?"

"Maybe they only wanted living things to stand on them," Lloyd said. "You know, instead of rocks and stuff."

"Lloyd, that's-" Genis paused and thought about what Lloyd said. "Actually," he said, "that sounds like a good idea. Since there are five of us, let's all stand on one."

"Yeah!" Lloyd said. He nodded as if to emphasize his agreement. Raine, mouth twisted and frown embedded into her brow, shook her head.

"It could be a trap," she said. "Not to mention that any mechanism that might have been here has probably already rusted away or been consumed by magma."

"Dungeons in Hyrule are notorious for traps that can't be seen until they've been sprung," Zelda said. "It could very well be a trap."

"But there's nothing else here to do!" Lloyd said. "I say we stand on those symbols and see what happens. It could be that the original designers didn't want any one person getting in and hence only five people can open that gate."

Raine still wasn't happy about it. But the fact that there was no other way around this convinced her that this must have had something to do with entrance. '_If only I knew more about this culture, then I'd be able to say for sure,_' she thought.

"Very well," Raine said. "Let's stand on them. As Lloyd said, this appears to be the only thing to do here and I doubt the builders would lead us here just to trap us in a cage."

Everyone moved forward. Each chose a symbol to stand on and looked around to see what was going to happen. Lloyd crossed his arms, his face a mask, as he stared at the floor.

"This is bor-" Lloyd, along with everyone else felt it right away. They all adopted a wide eyed shock as they fell into the holes now underneath them. "-riinnng!" The room fell silent as it quickly became empty.

* * *

**Triet Ruins - Link**

Link didn't know what was happening until he felt the ground fall out from underneath him. His eyes shot open to their full extent, so far that it hurt. He watched in stunned silence as he and everyone else dropped into the floor. Lloyd seemed to be the only one who tried moving, but the effort was futile and he was still sucked down.

It was as if it was happening in slow motion. He wanted to do something, but by the time the command reached his hand to reach out, he was already consumed by the chute. The light above disappeared before he even knew to look for it. This left Link to plummet into the dark depths blindly.

The fall, as it turned out, was fairly quick. Link barely had time to register that he was being knocked back and forth in the chute before he was dumped onto damp, moist earth. The smell of it was so pungent that Link's gag reflex brought bile to his throat. Coughing and hacking, Link pushed himself onto his knees and made an attempt to get his bearings.

He found himself in an expansive room. Overhead, the ceiling was smooth and carved with a relief of some kind. The room was lit by torches that lined the walls, which were also smooth, over which the cracked and peeling remains of a painted mural stood. None of the colors remained making it impossible to distinguish anything but cracked lines. The last noteworthy thing in the room was a statue on the other side.

Link looked back up at the chute. "Only one…" he noted. He couldn't see any of the other chutes. "Hello!" he shouted. "Can anyone hear me?"

He stayed quiet and listened first to his own voice echoing around the huge room. Then, when all was still, he listened for a few more seconds. But still nothing.

"Oh man," Link said. He reached up and grabbed his hair. His heart was racing in his chest, thumping hard enough that he felt its steady beat in his bones. A kind of panic rose up to compliment the bile still in his throat. "What am I supposed to do now?" he moaned, "It really was a trap."

'_**Aww, is the little baby scared?**_'

Link immediately narrowed his eyes and growled. His panic forgotten, he clenched his fists and snarled at the ground. "Shut up!" he shouted "I'm not scared!"

'_**Oh, really? Because it looked to me like you were about to cry…**_' Link remained silent and instead of responding to the condescending voice in his head, he tried to will it to go away. '_**I'm not going anywhere. I'm part of you. Deal with it, wimp.**_'

"I told you, I'm not scared!" Link shouted. His voice, loud and strong, echoed throughout the chamber for several minutes. Intent on ignoring his darker half, Link stormed forward into the chamber. He set his sight on the statue and continued across the room.

'_**Aww… Did I make the little baby angry?**_' the voice taunted.

"I told you to shut up," Link spat. "I don't like you and I don't have anything to say to you. If you're really part of me, then you don't have anything to say either."

'_**Fine, fine,**_' the voice said. '_**I'll shut up. But don't come crying to me if you get into trouble.**_'

"Why would I," Link said, "I'm not weak. I don't need your help."

Link expected the voice to respond, but he was surprisingly true to his word. Thankful for the reprieve, Link approached the statue and slowed to a stop once he was close to it. His mouth slowly fell agape as he continued to stare at it.

"That's…" Link took a shaky step backwards. "That's me!"

"Look. Look. See what the fish threw onto the boat. An interloper bent on robbing me of my treasure!"

Link snapped his head back and forth, trying to find the source of the voice. He continued to backpedal with slow, shaky steps. A dark shade fell across the statue as a cloud of shadows condensed from the air around it.

Two eyes, one brown and the other red, appeared on the cloud, both of which trained immediately onto Link. Link felt his legs freeze up and his innards turn to liquid as he remembered the shadow in the Vortex. The memory was so vivid that Link could barely stand, let alone move.

"Ahahaha, I see said the blind man," the shadow crowed gleefully. "You're him! HIM! Finally, the goat arrived with the barrel of venom to poison the well! How long I've waited for that day! Oh, but a test! Yes, we must test the poison for purity. Death should be quick and…" The shadow seemed to jump from the shoulders of the statue, but the dark pall cast over the stone remained. "…very painful!"

In a fleeting moment of courage, Link unsheathed the wooden saber and held it in front of him pointed at the shadow. The shadow looked down at the wooden tool and appeared to Link to tilt its head to the side, if that part of the cloud could be considered its head. Without speaking, the shadow faded into the air again, just as it had appeared.

What remained behind was the statue, which was now black as pitch. Link spun to the right and then to the left as he looked for the shadow, expecting it to show up again and attack him when he wasn't looking. But it did not appear. He was about to loose a deep breath of relief when he heard stone grating on stone.

He slowly turned his head and his blue eyes met the glowing, blood red eyes of the statue. It _was_ the statue of him, but now the statue was moving. It had a sword made of stone in its hand that waved back and forth as it walked toward him.

"So that's what it meant by a test," Link said. Now that he saw that it was only the statue, he wasn't so frightened. He gripped the hilt of his sword and ran at the statue.

He raised his sword into the air and slashed at the chest of the statue. The statue barely reacted, or reacted too slowly, Link couldn't be sure. But it had taken the blow full on.

It was too weak to do any damage, but Link was sure a couple pieces of stone flew from the statue's chest. He looked at his sword and found a new gouge in the wooden blade and his heart sank.

"I'm not going to have much of a sword left after this," Link said. He took a few more steps back to avoid the statue as it closed in on him. Yes, it was slow, but it was persistent. "I should have gotten better swords when we were back at the base like Lloyd did," Link muttered.

The statue suddenly stopped. It crouched down and clenched its hands as it opened its stone mouth. To Link it looked like it was roaring angrily at him, but the only indication he could find of that was the increase of the intensity of its eyes.

"I better do all the damage I can before I don't have a sword left," Link said. He clenched his sword tighter and ran at the statue. But he only got four steps when the statue exploded.

The blast, loud and bright, threw Link back a couple feet. Link's back slammed into the ground as he threw his arms over his head. Pieces of stone rained down on him and left large welts if it didn't manage to break skin. He waited until the rocks were done raining down on him before he lowered his arm.

Now standing where the statue was moments ago was a living, breathing Hylian. His skin was pale as the moon, his hair red and his outfit, a tunic and long floppy hat, black as pitch. The only thing left from the statue was the pair of glowing red eyes.

Link gaped at the dark doppelganger, unable to move. It grimaced at him, a semi permanent scowl making its way onto a face that looked exactly like Link's. It made the Dark Link look downright evil.

"I'm finally free," Dark Link whispered. "I have to thank you for finally setting me free. I'll do so by cutting you down with my blade." Dark Link swiped the air with his sword, still made of stone, in an X.

Without preamble, Dark Link sprang forward. He quickly closed the distance between him and Link. His stone sword was quickly thrust into the dirt where Link's head was just milliseconds before. Some of his hair had even been shaved off.

Dark Link looked at Link, his burning red eyes attempting to immolate Link's soul. But the look wasn't one of rage, or hatred, but of glee. His mouth was curved into a wicked grin as well.

Link didn't know what possessed him to react so quickly. But he was grateful his body sprung into motion on its own. Now he was face to face with his dark side given form. How could he beat himself? He could barely fight as it was, regardless of that TOD said.

"I'm so going to enjoy ripping your entrails out," Dark Link said with a smile. He rushed forward again, swinging his sword upward. Link barely managed to deflect the blows and in the end, his wooden blade was reduced to just the hilt.

After two swipes of his sword, Dark Link spun around and planted his foot in Link's chest. The blow sent Link flying backwards. Before Link had even landed on the ground, Dark Link leaped into the air, placed his sword pointed downward between his legs, and aimed for Link.

Link fell hard on the ground and didn't even have time to contemplate what to do next when he felt a great weight slam into his chest. Pain simultaneously exploded from his side where Dark Link's sword was now sticking through him and embedded in the dirt.

"Damn," Dark Link said apologetically, "I'm sorry. I didn't hit any vital organs. Let me try again."

Link gasped and clamped a hand down on his side when Dark Link tore his sword from Link's side and lifted it above his head. He watched as Dark Link swung. Glee filled the burning red eyes that stared down at Link. He let his body go slack as he waited for the inevitable blow.

'_It looks like this… is it…_'

'_**I don't think so!**_'

"**Yeaaaaaahahahahahaha!**" Link's glowing left hand shot out and stopped Dark Link's sword centimeters from his nose. Dark Link's eyes shot open and then narrowed. He tried to pull his sword back, but Link's hand remained firmly clamped to the stone blade.

"Let go you pathetic wimp!" Dark Link shouted. He placed a black boot on Link's wounded side and pulled with all his might as he pushed down with his foot. "This swords mine!"

"**You're right**," Link said, his eyes wild and his voice cracking as it went in and out of a bass frequency. "**But mine broke. So I'll have to take yours. Now it's my turn!**"

Link totally ignored the pain that should have been debilitating him with Dark Link's boot on his wound, and swung his leg up. Dark Link abandoned his sword and leaped back. Link tucked the wooden hilt into his belt and flipped the stone sword around. Once he was standing, Link glared at Dark Link.

"I can tell I'm going to enjoy killing you," Dark Link said. His glowing eyes narrowed as Link glowered back at him. Link gripped the stone sword and grinned.

"**Less talk**," Link said. His voice was completely bass and sharp as a razor. He dashed forward and swung his sword horizontally at Dark Link. "**More dying!**"

Dark Link dodged the blow but failed to see the foot aimed for his head. That blow sent Dark Link flying backwards faster and farther than Link went moments before. Mirroring the previous actions of Dark Link, Link leaped into the air and prepared to use his body weight to drive his new sword into Dark Link. The only difference was Link had a maniacal gaping grin plastered on his face and his eyes were like a speck of black in a sea of white.

Dark Link twisted in mid air and landed in a crouched position, skidding backwards with one hand on the ground. Link switched tactics in response and instead raised his sword above his head, ready to strike. Dark Link roared loudly and leaped at Link. The dark doppelganger drove his shoulder into Link's gut before he had a chance to swing.

Link flew back but landed on his feet. He wobbled slightly but then gripped his sword tighter and charged forward again. Dark Link frowned. He ducked under Link's attack and smashed his fist into Link's jaw.

Stars filled Link's vision as he was lifted into the air by the upper cut. Momentary blindness kept Link rooted in one place, waiting to see again or for the next blow. He felt the air shift behind him, ignored the pain in his face, and used his center of gravity as a fulcrum to spin around. He thrust his sword down at what he expected to be Dark Link.

Instead, Link's sword smashed into the wall. Dark Link grinned triumphantly as he watched the stone sword crumble into so many pieces.

Link grimaced and dropped the remains of the sword. Then he pulled the stump of his old wooden sword from his belt and swiped at Dark Link, but the dark doppelganger jumped back. Dark Link avoided each of Link's next attacks easily as Link literally attacked blindly.

"You're finished," Dark Link taunted, "you can't hit me. You're just a weak little boy that's going to die all alone."

"**I told y**ou to SHUT UP!" Link roared. The glow on the back of his left hand disappeared along with the wild eyes and the bass voice.

Dark Link's reactions slowed as he watched the transformation occur. Link then lashed out with the wooden stump in his hand. The stump let loose a blast of energy that slammed into Dark Link and carried him across the room. He smashed into the painted mural wall so ferociously that his body created an indentation that kept him mounted.

Link fell to his knees, his breathing ragged and strained. He clamped a hand onto his side, where blood was still flowing freely. Link looked left and right, not fully comprehending what he was seeing.

Across the room, Dark Link, battered and bleeding indigo blood from cuts and burns across his body, finally fell from the indentation in the wall to the floor. His breathing was ragged as his lips pealed apart and bared his bleach white teeth.

Dark Link, one hand forward at a time, slowly dragged himself toward Link. A trail of his dark blood was left behind his legs, one of which was bent at an angle it wasn't designed to bend. Link watched through his dirt laden blond bangs as Dark Link pull himself across the floor.

He wasn't sure how he sent Dark Link across the room or how his sword got broken. Link remembered being angry that voice was talking and then his anger exploded out of him. And then it was all suddenly gone.

Link winced again as pain shot up from the wound on his side. He pulled his hand away and noted with a grimace all the blood. He dimly remembered a gel that Lloyd gave him earlier and started searching for it with his non-bloody hand.

Dark Link reached Link and raised a shaking hand up. He grabbed onto Link's shirt and pulled Link in close. Link watched, drained of any energy that he might have used fight back.

Taking in a long, raspy breath, Dark Link said, "Next time, I'm going to kill you." Link watched Dark Link fall slack and felt the pale fingers release his shirt. Dark Link's body then sank into the ground, as if the dirt were soaking him up like water. The only evidence of his presence was the dark blue blood trail that remained behind.

Link stared at the spot Dark Link sank into for several minutes. He knew that he should have felt something. Maybe fear because Dark Link threatened to kill him. Or anger because Dark Link wasn't dead. Perhaps he should feel exhilarated because he was somehow still alive. But for all that just happened, he felt nothing. He felt… empty.

That emptiness was filled quickly with the pain emanating from his side. He hissed as the wound screamed along his nerves. Link's searching hand quickly snatched the apple gel hidden in the folds of his shirt and pulled it out.

Careful to pull his shirt up without hurting himself even more, Link applied the gooey red substance to the surprisingly clean cut wound. The apple scented stuff immediately numbed the nerves, which brought a smile of relief to Link's face. As the pain subsided, Link rubbed the gel in faster and paid special attention to the exit wound on the other side.

The apple gel did its work and sealed up the wound. Link flexed that part of his abdomen and gasped thought his teeth. The muscles were still very sore.

Link carefully pushed himself back to his feet, despite the pain still emanating from his side. He hunched to the side when he stood and had to limp when he took a few test steps. Walking like that, he was able to make it to the stone pedestal that once supported Dark Link as a statue.

Link sat down on the pedestal to rest. For a few moments, while the pain in his side gradually lessened, he wondered how the others were doing. Did they have to fight dopplegangers too? He shuddered to think of what a Dark Zelda would look like.

His eyes widened when the stone pedestal he was sitting on suddenly settled into the ground a couple inches and then clicked. To his left a low humming started up. When he looked he saw a glowing circle of light on the ground.

"That's gotta be a way out," Link said. With a soft grunt, Link got back to his feet and hobbled toward the circle of light. Even though he wasn't bleeding anymore, all this moving made his vision sway and he had to stop to catch his breath ever few feet. "I must… have lost… too much… blood," Link gasped.

Upon stepping into the circle, the humming rose in tone. Link's body felt weightless as he stood there. And then the room around him swirled, as if he were looking through waves of heat or a prism.

To Link's oxygen deprived brain, seeing the room spin overhead pushed him over the edge. In quick succession Link bent over and tossed his cookies onto the ground. Not that there was much there, but the sight of his cookies on the ground made Link heave again.

"You're not exactly what I expected…"

Link looked up and immediately fell backwards and to the side. He was no longer in the huge cavern but now was in a smaller room with a large chest in the center. Next to the chest stood a man draped in a black cloak. In his hand was a torch, the only source of light in the room. A red and brown pair of eyes looked out from the hood, but the man's other features were hidden.

Link raised his wooden stump up in front of him. He wasn't sure that he was pointing it at the right cloaked man since there were three standing in front of him and they were waving about the room. He was sure, though, that they were related to that shadow thing that awakened the Dark Link statue.

"My my," the man said. "You can't even stand. Good thing you won then. Here, let me help you…"

"Stay away from me!" Link shouted. He pushed himself back a few inches, ignoring the pain from his wound. The man stopped after taking only a few steps. He cocked his head to the side and watched Link quietly.

"How, by the Goddesses' good name, did you defeat that monster with only a wooden stick," the man asked. Link continued to glare. He waved his stick back and forth in front of him as if to warn the man that if he could defeat one thing with a stick, then he must really be dangerous.

"If you do not wish to speak, that is fine also," the man said. "However, I have things to tell you. You came into this dungeon with four companions. They, like you, fell into traps like this one. Theirs were not like this one."

"Are… are they alright?" Link asked. He slightly lowered the stick he held as concern crept into his voice. He still didn't trust the three men in front of him, but they hadn't made any moves yet. Perhaps they weren't going to hurt him.

He was also taken with concern for the others. If the trials they were facing weren't like his then that meant they could be even more dangerous. Though, now that he thought about it, he had a hard time imagining what could be more dangerous than a statue coming to life so that it could cut you into tiny little pieces.

"I was able to save them, yes," the man said. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Aurim, master of fire. One of the nine companions that set off from the Caliphate to find the Goddesses… but we only found death."

"If you're dead, then that means you're a ghost, right?" Link raised his stick again, prepared to ward off the ghost. His head hurt but he was reasonably sure now that there weren't actually three of them in front of him. He must have been really out of it if he was seeing things that weren't there.

"I am… not truly alive, that is true," Aurim said. "However, I have not truly died yet either. My life was extended within the walls of this temple. I waited, like all my companions, for the one who would come to free us from the curse we have had to endure these many long millennia."

Link frowned as he tried to think through the nausea fogging his brain. The man in front of him said he was dead and not dead. "I'm not sure I understand," Link said finally.

"Yes," Aurim said. He nodded his head with slight movements. "You are but a child after all. These things are hard for even adults to understand. Nevertheless, you appear to be the one cho-"

Aurim froze. His eyes were locked onto Link's left hand. The symbol of the Triforce glowed softly in the semi-darkness of the room.

"Is… it even possible," Aurim said. He took a shallow step forward and fell to his knees. "That I would be in the presence of a Triforce Bearer, the Goddesses must truly not have forgotten about us. Even though it may have taken so long they finally set about saving us."

"What are you talking about?" Link asked. The actions of Aurim were sending off alarm bells in the back of his head. He had to quell the sudden urge to scramble away.

"You," Aurim said as he slowly got back to his feet. A tinge of desperate madness entered his voice. "You don't know about us? Is it even possible for you to wield one of the Goddesses' Three without knowing it? How did you come here if not by the will of the Goddesses?"

Link looked at the back of his left hand, at the mark of the Triforce there. He watched the mark's soft glow for several moments before he looked back up at Aurim.

"I know I have the Triforce of Courage," Link said. "Princess Zelda told me that. She and I were sent here by Ganondorf. And I've never even heard about you before."

"Hmm…" Aurim brought his hand to his chin, which was still cast in shadows. His fingers and palm were wrapped in off white bandages. Link looked to the floor, suddenly curious. He saw that Aurim's legs were also wrapped in the bandages.

"Have you ever heard of the Hyruler called the Caliph King?" Aurim asked. "He was the first person to wield the Triforce."

Link slowly shook his head back and forth. "The Triforce was hidden away in the Sacred Realm by the Goddesses and guarded over by the Sages until Ganondorf snuck in and stole it. He's called the Demon Thief for a reason. Everyone knows that."

"It would seem all memory of history has been forgotten then…" Aurim said. He turned away from Link and seemed to shrink into himself. "Perhaps the goddesses truly have forgotten about us…"

Link lowered his stick. Aurim couldn't be all that bad if he really did save his friends. And he seemed distraught that Link hadn't recognized him. Link was familiar with being pushed aside by those bigger and stronger than him, forgotten by all.

"No," Aurim said. His voice was suddenly stronger and his head shot up. "No, I cannot think like that. Not now that the time has finally come. This boy wouldn't be here if not for the influence of fate. The Goddesses haven't abandoned us yet."

Aurim turned to Link. "It doesn't matter how you got here, only that you are. That you bear a piece of the Goddesses Three is proof you are their herald. Now," Aurim pointed at the chest, "there is much for you to learn and not much time left. I do not have much in the way of looking beyond these walls, but even I have felt this planet dying for the past four thousand years. It would do well to destroy Agahnim before he's set free."

"Who's Agahnim?" Link asked. Aurim's eyes narrowed.

"Agahnim is the reason we've been cursed to remain here. Many, many lifetimes ago, Agahnim attempted to control the powers of the demons. He failed and their power corrupted him instead. The rest of our group barely managed to seal him within the Proto-Triforce before he became nigh unstoppable."

"Did… you say that you… sealed him… _inside_ the Proto-Triforce? The Triforce that's made of black triangles instead of golden ones?" Link swallowed and looked down at the floor. Dread crept up into him as he awaited in dread for the answer.

"Yes…" Aurim said slowly. "But if you know nothing of us, then how do you know of the Proto-Triforce already? Is this not the first temple you've entered?"

"Uh…" Link swallowed, loudly. "Not… exactly."

* * *

A/N: So, we find ourselves back in this story, eh? I decided that after fifteen months, this story at least deserved a little attention. Truth be told, I had this chapter written a long while ago, but never got around to posting it. After I came back to it, I cut this baby down from 30 pages in word to 19. True, it's not as gripping, but this was a reasonable spot to stop in, I realized. That, and I was getting tired of revising this behemoth chapter. So there you have it. Please excuse any spelling or grammatical errors, if you will, unless you take delight in pointing out my deficiencies, then by all means go right ahead and ground those errors into the ground. Internet cookies to the one who does so in the most inventive language.

Posted: 1 - 18 - 2011


	13. XIII Chapter Thirteen

Legend!

The Forgotten Hero and the Eternal Swordsman

By I.K.A. Valian

_**Chapter Thirteen: Fire Seal III

* * *

**_

**Soulfire's Might

* * *

**

**Triet Ruins – Kratos and Co.**

Kratos led the two behind him through the temple entrance. Magma flowed past the front of the ancient stone building like a river, creating massive updrafts. Everyone's clothes were flying about wildly in the fierce wind. Kratos had to fight just to stay grounded, but eventually, they all managed to make it inside.

The inside of the temple was quiet when compared to the dull roar of the moving magma outside. Kratos ignored Zelos and Sheena for a moment as he studied the surroundings. He distinctly remembered the news of the entry to Efreet's chamber being in far too many pieces to salvage. That was why Cruxis put in the warp pad.

However, contrary to what he'd been told, Kratos was now looking at the majestic archways and unobstructed pathways. With his eyes, he traced the route he used to take when he passed through here, up the center aisle and past the statue of Martel at the back to a hidden door that led to Efreet's Altar. True, there was some decomposition, but that was to be expected after a couple hundred years.

"I can't believe how windy it is down here under ground," Sheena said. "Who ever heard of wind underground?"

"While I'd be inclined to agree, we're on a journey where a lot of stuff that shouldn't exist, does." Zelos shrugged as he and Sheena meandered their way further into the temple. Kratos remained still, letting the other two take the lead while he let himself fall into his thoughts.

The floor was dusty and covered with debris from the broken ceiling, crumbling pillars, and fallen walls. The dull glow of the magma outside and the putrid smell of brimstone and sulfur permeated the temple. Even the statue of Martel, once the most beautiful in Sylvarant, was barely more than a piece of sulfur yellowed rock with deep erosion pits.

"So where is the alter old man?" Zelos asked. Kratos ignored Zelos and started past the statue into the back room. Zelos paused and reached a hand up to rub his face. He grimaced at the grime that came back and quickly rubbed the dirt off on his sliced up jacket. The jacket made Zelos frown. "My poor jacket…"

"Oh would you stop whining about that stupid jacket," Sheena snapped. "You've been bringing it up every ten minutes since you almost burned to death in it." Sheen crossed her arms, pushing her already ample assets out further. "Honestly, I'm not sure why I saved you."

"Oh," Zelos said as he smoothly slid next to Sheena. He grabbed her by the waist and brought his face close to hers. They were so close that his lips nearly grazed the crimson flush burning on her cheeks.

"I think I know exactly why you saved me," Zelos said in a slow and deep voice. His eyes remained locked on Sheena's up to and after her face wrinkled with rage. She quickly raised her foot and stomped down on Zelos tender digits. This disengaged the man's clutching hand from her backside. As an added measure, Sheena shoved Zelos into a pillar, which crumbled down on top of him and buried him under a pile of rocks.

"Hmph, serves me right," she said and stormed off with her fists clenched. "I can't ever trust a pervert! Stupid, stupid, stupid!"

"Miss Fujibayashi…"

Sheena snapped out of her monologue of anti-chosen mantras when Kratos called out to her. He was leaning against the doorway that led to the back. Just beyond his shoulder she caught sight of the altar. If seen from any other angle, the remains of the Martel hid the contents of the room.

"Oh, you found Efreet's alter," she said. "Great, let's go!" Sheena marched passed Kratos and started toward the altar.

"Where is the Chosen?" Kratos asked. Sheena kept walking forward and waved her hand behind her. Kratos glanced back into the forward chamber and saw a few rocks from a man sized pile of rubble fall away to reveal Zelos' face. Kratos said nothing as he turned and followed Sheena.

Sounds of battle and the rumbling earth made a couple more patches of rocks fall away from Zelos. For the most part though, he was hidden well. So well in fact that not one of the three men that passed by him saw any indication of the Tethe'allan Chosen's presence.

Zelos noticed them though. His eyes narrowed as the fourth and final man passed. The first three men looked like regular soldiers, haggard and worn out in their black and dusty uniforms. The fourth man was taller and had smaller eyes, a pointy chin, and he was dressed in a blue uniform. He obviously carried himself with self importance and pride, not to mention he didn't look the least bit ruffled like his compatriots.

"What do we have here," Zelos asked himself quietly. He remained still and watched the four men take a straight path past the decaying statue of Martel. The men didn't even pause to look around before they disappeared through the hidden doorway behind the statue. "This doesn't bode well."

Zelos worked his way out of the pile of rocks, which mostly consisted of pushing pebbles aside. He then quickly followed the four men and peeked around the corner of the door. He saw them hiding behind fallen boulders with their eyes focused on Sheena as she fought Efreet.

"Yeah," Zelos said quietly as Sheen a landed a particularly devastating Pyre Seal that sent the Red Giant flying backwards. He stifled any further outcries so he wasn't detected. So long as the strangers were hiding quietly, he figured it would be a good idea for him to do so as well.

Zelos was a bit surprised when Efreet seemed to give up the fight. It looked like he had plenty more fight left in him. Zelos could swear he saw Efreet's muscles twitching… "That's if Summon Spirits have muscles," he muttered to himself.

"Very well," Efreet said. The giant flame spirit crossed his arms as he spoke. "Speak your vow, however remember what I told you."

Sheena nodded. "Right now, the planet is dying, it's literally falling apart. I vow to use your power to stop this."

Efreet nodded. His body disintegrated into dust and fell to the floor. The particles of sand were lifted into the air by a sudden gust of wind. Left behind was a simple silver ring with a Garnet embedded in the band.

"Good work," Kratos said.

Sheena nodded. "He was right. His power really was fading. I'm surprised he lasted that long." Sheena walked forward and stooped down to pick up the ring. "Just seven more," she said as she grasped the silver band.

"Now that we're finished here," Kratos said, "I think our guests should come out and introduce themselves." Kratos turned toward the exit, and the boulders hiding the four men. He still had his arms crossed, but his right hand remained close to the hilt of his sword.

"My, my, quite the observant one, aren't we, _Kratos_."

Kratos sneered as the four revealed themselves. His left hand closed around the hilt of his sword, but he did not draw it. He instead spat out the name of the man in the blue uniform.

"Kvar."

"You know these guys?" Sheena asked.

"Intimately," Kvar said. He purposely looked at Kratos and asked, "Wouldn't you say, _Kratos_?"

"What are you doing here Kvar?" Kratos asked in a low and menacing voice. His eyes narrowed and the magma in the chamber put a deadly glint of light in them. "I thought you'd have followed your master and left this world."

"Not all of us are blind enough to follow Lord…" Kvar paused and smiled. It was a horrible smile, one that made Sheena shiver. "Oh my, let me rephrase that. I, Emperor Kvar, now have my own planet to rule. In what deranged fantasy of yours, _Kratos_, would I ever follow that maniac to anyplace else?"

"You always were a pompous ass, Kvar," Kratos said. He took full notice of the way Kvar said his name in that sickeningly endearing way. "What makes you think you have the right to be any kind of emperor? And what are you doing here?"

"Might makes right, _Kratos_." Kvar sneered. "I thought you would have known _that_ by now, _Kratos_? Or didn't I… _drive_ my point home the _last time_ we met? Eh, _Kratos_?"

Kratos' face blanched but his eyes grew hard. He slowly drew his sword from its scabbard. He made sure that the metal scraped loudly enough to produce a menacing screech. Once the blade was free, he swung the sword forward to point at Kvar's head.

"Save your excuses. Mithos isn't here to protect you anymore and you've had this coming for a long time. Prepare to die," Kratos snarled, eyes aglow with malice, "slowly." The killing intent radiating off of Kratos was enough that even Zelos felt like he had to shield his face.

Sheena shied away. She was now, officially, terrified of Kratos. She'd never seen the ridiculously unflappable mercenary so blood thirsty. His whole body was shaking with what had to be barely contained rage. The way his face creased and his lips peeled apart made him look downright demonic.

But it was his eyes and the radiating hatred that made her knees weak. It was like standing on the rim of a volcano as it was about to erupt. Nothing, no matter how severe the action, could stop that mountain of a man from exploding.

Kvar said nothing. He merely smiled that sinister smile and made a motion to the three men behind him. They dashed forward past their master.

Kratos sliced the first man in half with one stroke. He didn't even twist his arm or body to increase the torque on the blade. He just swung the sword up and through the man as if he were made of tissue paper.

After the first man's body began to fall apart, Kratos then spun around and cut through the second's neck. His sword hummed through the air like a menacing hornet. The blood from the neck of the second grunt barely had time to launch the previously connected head off like a rocket when Kratos punched the third grunt in the face.

The force from the blow made an audible crack as the nose was blasted apart and blood covered Kratos' fist. The grunt's nose was the least of his problems because the force from the blow was enough to launch the roughly 250 pound man through the air and into one of the pools of magma lining the room. His body was quickly swallowed up by the angry red liquid rock.

With all three grunts dealt with, Kratos looked for Kvar, but he was already gone. The aspiring emperor had run for the altar.

Kratos roared as he pumped his legs and took chase. He noticed the evil man pull a small device from inside his jacket and toss it onto the altar. He dismissed whatever it was and focused on his target. Kvar would die soon, making whatever that was unimportant.

Kvar ran past the altar after he tossed the device and stopped a few feet away. Then he turned around, smiled at Kratos, and he squeezed his hand.

The device erupted in a ball of fire that filled the cavernous room. The blast blew Kratos back and away from the altar as a hole opened up beneath it. The rest of the floor quickly gave way to a new chamber below.

* * *

**Triet Ruins – Link**

Link heaved as he pushed on the large wooden lid. The chest inside Aurim's tomb was in surprisingly good condition considering how old he said he was. 'Too old to have an age anymore,' or so he'd said shortly before he told him to take the contents of this chest, something called the diamond gloves and find the way out. Then, without a word, he handed Link his torch and faded from existence.

"Why do I have to find the way out?" Link grumbled as he pushed and heaved on the chest lid. It was either very stuck or the wood had petrified into stone, either way the chest wasn't opening. "You'd think he'd know the way out of his own tomb," he said breathlessly as he pushed himself back to look at the chest once more.

From the light emitted by Aurim's Torch, he could tell that the chest was completely the same as when he'd first started trying to open it. It looked like it had not budged once the whole time.

"And how in the goddesses names am I supposed to open this?"

He took a deep breath in an attempt to calm his nerves. His frustration with this chest was almost to the point where he felt like it wasn't worth his time, but one final option presented itself. Glinting in the light behind the chest was sword. It was melted towards the end and looked burned and gnarled, as if it had gotten too close to a really hot fire. The more Link thought about it, that wasn't too out of character for this place, considering it _was_ the 'fire temple'.

With a groan, Link trudged over to the sword and grabbed the hilt. With a heave, he slowly began lifting the large weapon into the air. After a few seconds though his fingers began to scream in pain and so he let go. The sword fell back to the ground with a dull metallic thump and did not bounce.

"Holy cow!" Link said exasperatedly. "That thing's almost as bad as the chest! Oh… why can't anything be easy?" Link shook his head and blinked a few times. "No. No! I've got to get stronger. I'm going to pick up that sword. I'm going to pick it up and open that chest!"

Setting down the torch, Link bent down in front of the sword and grabbed the hilt with both hands. Bending his knees, he straightened his back and pushed with his legs. It was much easier lifting it with his entire body, but that didn't mean it was any lighter. He was forced to drag the decrepit old sword, sending sparks up from where the blade met the floor, to the front of the chest. Once he was there, Link took a deep breath and put all the strength he could find within his body into lifting the sword.

Link's face grew red, then purple, as he put more and more effort into lifting the sword. His arms shook, sending tremors down the blade. This in turn made his legs wobble and before long the two inch clearance above the floor was lost. Link's strength gave way and the sword fell back down to the ground. He dropped to the floor next to it. He was breathing almost as hard as when he'd been chased through the city for a whole day, only with less fear involved.

"I… can't do… it…" Link decided to stay on the ground where he fell until he got his strength back. "It's too heavy, I need more strength…"

A soft clicking sound caught his attention. He sat up and looked over to the chest and felt his jaw drop slightly. The lid was sitting open and a light was glowing from within.

He abandoned the sword and scampered to the open chest with renewed energy. When he looked into the chest he saw a pair of gloves that sparkled with as if they'd been encrusted with diamonds. He reached out a hand to touch them and suddenly a voice echoed through his mind.

'_Fire, it holds the promise of strength unmatched and power unlimited. Yet, I, Aurim, Master of the flame, have come to the conclusion that Fire is short lived and quick to die. So I searched for a flame of endurance, a fire that would never die. I have placed all that I am, all that I have learned of the enduring flame, Soulfire, into these gloves. I ask thee, Hero, to use this pinnacle of Flame's power, to do what I had not the power to do. Kill Agahnim._'

Link frowned. Where did that voice come from? The voice said it was Aurim's, but the Aurim he'd just met, his voice was far deeper than the one that just flew through his head.

Link shook his head of the overflowing questions forming within. He reached into the chest and firmly grabbed the gloves. They twinkled in the torchlight as he lifted them into the air to inspect them.

The gloves were clearly meant for larger hands, perhaps those of a man. Aurim perhaps didn't expect that the Hero would be a kid like him. Nevertheless, Link carefully opened the gloves and shoved his hands in, making sure to get each of his fingers into the appropriate slot.

He gave a shout of surprise when the gloves pulled tight against his skin, shrinking until they fit, well, like a glove. The sparkle of the material they were made of intensified for several seconds and the Triforce symbol on the back of his hand appeared on the back of the glove where it would have appeared on his left hand. The light held strong for several seconds and then dimmed considerably.

Link inspected his hands, looking over the resized gloves by turning his hands over and back. He checked every corner of them that he could but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. He did feel different though, as if something was now coursing through his veins. It almost felt like his blood had turned into liquid heat, and everywhere it coursed his muscles twitched with renewed energy. He felt… stronger.

Looking to test this feeling, Link went back to the huge sword and took a few slow deep breathes. Then, he bent over, grasped the sword's hilt, and heaved once more. He wasn't truly expecting the weapon to be too much lighter than it was before. Truthfully, it wasn't, but the energy flowing through his body now easily enabled him to lift the sword high up into the air over his head.

"Wh-wha-wha?" he stammered, easily holding the huge blade over his head. "No way! This… this is incredible!" He swung the sword downward easily and just as easily stopped the swing centimeters from the stone floor. "I'm not even breaking a sweat now…"

Link rested the tip of the sword on the floor and let go with one hand so he could look at the gloves. They sparkled a bit more intensely than moments before, but otherwise were just as inert looking as they always were. Link grinned and clenched his fist.

"Nothing can stop me now," he said, and clenched his fist as if to show off his strength. The floor beneath his feet suddenly shook. The vibration wasn't terrible, but it was enough to shake Link from his stupor. "I should find that way out of here now that I've got these gloves. But… which way."

Link was about to let go of the sword when he remembered that his other sword was little more than a hilt now. This sword had some issues, namely that it was badly damaged, but the remains of the blade were strong still and it showed little signs of rust. Shrugging, he lifted the sword with one hand and held it in the air. The blade itself was almost as long as he was tall, but seeing as he didn't have any trouble holding it now due to the gloves, that wasn't going to be a problem.

What was a problem was that he still couldn't see all that well in this room. Scooping up the torch, Link made his way to one wall and followed it. It quickly became clear that the room was square. On the last wall, he came to a huge boulder that appeared to have been shoved into what looked like a large entranceway.

Link set the torch down and grabbed the hilt of his sword in both hands. He swung the blade back until it was next to his head and just over his shoulder. Setting his feet wider apart to keep from falling over, Link swung with all is strength.

The Diamond Gloves' sparkle flashed once just before the sword impacted the rock. Though he was temporarily blinded, Link felt the sword hit something hard before it continued on its path. When the light faded, Link saw that the boulder had been reduced to a pile of dust.

"Oh my…" Link said. He stretched his head out and inspected the mess. "That… was a little too much po-"

Just as suddenly as the gloves had flashed, a wave of nausea washed over him. He immediately fell to his knees and started breathing hard as his heart started hammering in his chest. His head swam for several seconds as his vision blurred.

"Wow," he bit out between labored breaths. "I didn't expect… something like this… Aurim should have warned me…" Link waited until he could move his head without the world twisting sideways before he attempted to get back to his feet. Using his sword as a crutch, he grabbed the torch from the floor and moved forward into the passage that he opened up. "I better not over use this strength," he said, "or I'll faint in the middle of a battle… or worse."

* * *

**Triet Ruins - Lloyd**

Lloyd wasn't a fan of waiting around, to say the least. Another thing he wasn't too happy with was falling for the trap. The moment the door opened beneath his feet, he knew he'd made a mistake. He knew that if the professor had landed in the same room, she'd be berating him about not thinking ahead.

"But… even she said there wasn't anything else we could do," he said aloud to himself. Lloyd paused and then shook his head. "If I'm not careful, I'm going to start talking to myself."

He'd fallen into a dark room with only one torch to light it planted in the center. After looking fruitlessly for an exit, Lloyd growled and punched the wall. And then he waited. And waited. And continued to wait for what felt like ages.

"I can't take it anymore!" he suddenly shouted. The silence was making his ears ring.

He ran at the wall and slammed his shoulder into it. He could practically hear the sturdy stone's laughter echoing in his ears when it shrugged off his attack.

"_What was that-Is someone there?_"

Lloyd's fuming dropped away from him like a discarded blanket as he plastered himself to the wall and pushed his ear against the cold bricks. There was a faint scratching sound on the other side, as if a mouse was inside the wall. But the idea of mice crawling around inside of a stone wall, and that they could talk, was as ridiculous as the idea of a world without magic. That left only the possibility that someone was on the other side.

"Hello!" he shouted. "Can you hear me? It's me Lloyd!"

"_Lloyd? Hey, it's Lloyd!_" The last part sounded softer, as if the person speaking had turned away to talk to someone else. It was hard for him to make out who he was talking to, but if he had to guess, it was Genis. "_He's on the other side of the wall._"

"Hey!" Lloyd shouted, "Is that you Genis?"

"_Yeah, it's me,_" Genis replied. "_I'm stuck in a room with Raine and the Princess. There's no way out. What about you?_"

"I…" Lloyd peered about the gloom of the room he was stuck in. "It's the same in here. But I got a torch for light. That's about it. No doors or switches or anything, just four walls and a torch."

"_Hey, wait-sis!_"

"_Lloyd?_" The new voice was slightly deeper than Genis', and judging from how he yelped moments before, it was more than likely Raine talking now.

"What is it Professor?" Lloyd asked.

"_I want you to tell me exactly where the torch is in your room and how big the chamber is. As exact as you can._"

"Uh… Sure, I guess." Lloyd looked back at the room and tried to think of another one that was about the same size. The image of the schoolhouse came to mind immediately. "The room is about the same size as school and the torch is exactly in the middle."

"_Incredible…_"

"Professor?"

"_Lloyd! We're going to try something on our side. Tell me immediately if something happens. Genis! Go over there and mo-_" Raine's voice went out of range as she moved away from the wall.

Lloyd waited for several seconds for something to happen. He watched the room but soon his nerves started to wear thin. "Professor," he said, "Nothing's happening."

"_Just a moment, Lloyd. This is going to take a bit more effort than I first realized. Hold on for a few minutes while we try something new._"

Lloyd frowned but did as he was told. He folded his arms and leaned back against the wall. Watching the torch burn and the room do nothing was almost physically painful for him, but he consoled himself that if anyone could make something happen, then it was the Professor.

The unexpected movement of the torch toward the wall to his right immediately caught his attention. He watched the torch scrape across the floor as if being drug by an invisible hand. When it came to a stop, there was a loud click and the wall that it had moved toward shook. A layer of dust released from the stone as a section of the bricks pulled backward and revealed a passage.

"Professor!" he shouted. That his voice was high with shock and cracked as he spoke made him wince and cough to try and regain his composure. "Professor! The wall just opened and… and this hole appeared. It looks like I can get out of here. What did you do?"

"_Never mind. I suspect that path leads to another room like the one we're in. You need to activate a switch that will open the door to our room._"

"Haha!" Lloyd shouted. "Don't worry Professor. Just leave it to me."

"_That's what worries me the most. Lloyd, just be quick and do your best. And be careful, who knows what other traps are in this dungeon._"

"I'll be careful Professor! I'll have you out of there in a jiffy! Just hang on."

Lloyd grinned as he took off toward the opening in the wall. He stopped just before it and peered into the darkness. Raine's warning about being careful echoed in his mind.

"I need light if I'm going to see in this darkness," he said to himself. "But… Genis can't help me this time. I'll have to find another way. Hmm…" Lloyd turned around and immediately caught sight of the torch. An idea presented itself in his mind. "I got it," he said, pumping his right hand into his left.

His metal swords made short work of the wooden supports holding the torch up. Shortly thereafter, Lloyd took his first steps into the darkened hallway. The torch light pushed back the shadows and revealed a long narrow chamber with an opening on the other end.

Lloyd looked behind him, but the room he was in had gone completely dark. And now that he'd calmed down, the deathly silence caught back up to him. A tingle of fear crawled up his spine like two fingers lazily tap dancing on his skin as he realized the only source of light was in his hands.

"I better hurry," he said, his face a few shades whiter than it was moments before. Lloyd hurried through the narrow hall into the next chamber. There he paused in the entrance way as he took in what was expected of him.

"This is most definitely _not_ a room like what the one that the others are in," he muttered. The room was much bigger, probably twice as large as the one he'd just come from. On either side of the room were large statues with singular eyeballs rotating around a pole. Their red pupils practically screamed their promise to incinerate anything that they saw.

Looking back the way he'd come, he briefly considered going back and asking what Professor Raine thought he should do. He quickly pushed that thought from his mind. He couldn't always rely on others to do what he needed to do.

His mind made up, Lloyd studied the room more in-depth. The eye statues were clearly capable of seeing in the darkness, so his torch wouldn't give him away. But he still didn't know how far exactly they could see. And that was important because when he lifted his torch higher, a part of the room bathed in shadows was revealed. There, he thought he saw some sort of lever.

"How am I going to make it over there without being seen?" Lloyd tilted his head to the side as a plan developed in his head alongside a visual map of the room. He could just barely see himself running between the eye-statues and pushing the switch, only to turn around and run back the other way to the safe spot that he was now in.

Lloyd shrugged and watched the eye statues for the right moment. When the angry red eye turned toward him, glowered for half a second, and then continued on its orbit, Lloyd bolted. He barely had time to leap past the first statue when the eye spun back to face him and stopped.

The red pupil narrowed. The beam of red light that shot out from the eye was almost fast enough to singe his boots. But Lloyd was still moving.

Fortunately, luck smiled on him when he passed the second statue. Lloyd skidded to a stop and grabbed the lever sticking out of the floor. All he had to do was flip it and something, he hoped, would happen.

It took a few good heaves, but finally, the lever shifted and began to move. Then the worst thing happened, the eye statue closest to him finished its orbit and then stopped. It narrowed its eye as it looked right at him.

"Oh crap."

* * *

**Triet Ruins – Genis & Co.**

A crumbling sound caught everyone's attention. The source of the sound was the wall opposite where they sat. As they watched, a section in the center of the wall fell away similar to how the entrance to the temple was revealed and turned to dust.

"Lloyd must have found the next switch." Genis said. He ran over to the wall where the exit fell away from and peered into the new darkened hall. Raine and Zelda came up behind him, both of them warily casting glances into the dark abyss.

Raine held up her staff, the jewel on the end bright with internal illumination. The light filled the passage and made clear the skeletons and remains of other creatures lying on the floor. It almost looked like they'd gotten trapped in here too, but were unable to find the exit.

"Poor souls," Zelda said. She dipped her head and whispered a quiet prayer.

"What would anyone have been doing down here anyway?" Genis asked. "We just found it today?"

"Perhaps they found another way in," Raine said. She walked into the hall and bent down to examine one of the remains. "These bones are very worn and appear to be quite old. I'd say they may even date back to when the original city of Triet stood."

"While I do think it would be wise to figure out if there's a way out of here," Zelda said as she walked forward into the hall, "but shouldn't we rendezvous with Lloyd?"

"Oh yeah," Genis said, as if just remembering that Lloyd was still nowhere to be seen. "If he opened this door, then he'll be waiting for us to open the next one, right?"

"If this dungeon is built in that manner," Raine said. She stood and started down the hall. "It really was ingenious, making the entrance a dual system of switches and traps. No wonder those people never found a way out."

As Raine and Genis left the hall, talking animatedly about traps and counterbalance requirements for building such an elaborate system, Zelda's ears twitched. She paused at the door way into the next hall and listened.

"Zelda?" Genis called out. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she said. She shook her head and hurried down the second hall, also littered with bones and other remains. "I thought I'd heard something. Like two hollow sticks knocking together."

"It must be your imagination," Genis said. He shrugged and started into a third hall, which took a ninety degree turn to the right. "There's nothing down here besides…"

Genis stopped in the middle of the hallway. His body was shaking but he remained absolutely still. The two women behind him look at each other and then back at Genis.

"Genis," Raine said. "Genis, what's wrong?"

"S… s… ss…"

"Speak up," Raine barked. "I can't understand you when you mumble."

"S-s-something grabbed my foot," he stammered in a hoarse whisper.

Raine and Zelda looked down and saw a skeletal hand wrapped around Genis' ankle. Raine rolled her eyes. Honestly, these antics weren't new and they weren't helping this situation in the least.

"Genis, stop playing around," Raine said. "Shake your foot loose and let's keep moving. Lloyd could be in trouble for all we know."

"But sis, I-"

"Don't be ridiculous," Raine said. She stepped forward and was about to push the skeleton off of Genis' foot with the end of her staff when Zelda reached out and grabbed her arm.

Raine was about to berate the princess for holding them up, but when she looked back at the blond, it wasn't her that Zelda was staring wide eyed at, but at the skeleton. Raine looked down at the skeleton again. It stared back at her with empty eye sockets, unmoving.

"Okay," Raine growled, "this has gone on-"

"Shh!" Zelda rasped. Her eyes didn't leave the skeletal remains. "Watch!"

Raine shook her head, but watched nonetheless. Slowly, but surely, nothing happened. She was just about to shout out her growing frustration when, fast as lightning, the skeleton let go of Genis' leg and pulled back.

The three watched horrified as the rickety bones of the skeleton clicked and clacked as they reformed a hunched over human shaped thing. It reached out with its bone dry hand, two digits missing, toward Raine. Then it hissed, as if it was trying to breathe in its unlife.

Raine barely had time to react when the skeleton lunged forward. The only reason she wasn't impaled on boney appendages of someone long dead was that Zelda had pushed her out of the way. Genis, unfortunately, was in front of her and both of them fell to the floor.

"It's a Stalfos," Zelda said. She pulled her bow out and used it as an impromptu bludgeon to smack the skull from the skeletal body. "We need explosives to kill them… again."

Raine rolled off of Genis and pushed herself into a kneeling position. Behind her the Stalfos was blindly searching for its head, which had rolled down the hall a bit. Zelda whacked it again for good measure, before she moved to help Genis and Raine to their feet.

The clicking and clacking of bones made them pause and look back, only to find that the entire hall way had been filled with Stalfos. Genis made a small choking sound as Raine blindly grasped at his shirt. Zelda watched wide eyed as the re-animated monsters moved toward them.

"Run!"

* * *

**Triet Ruins - Link**

Link's jaunt through the temple was fairly uneventful. The shadows had been daunting, but Aurim's torch cheerfully pushed them back. If it wasn't for the firelight, he might have been too scared to even attempt leaving Aurim's Tomb.

"No," Link said. He shook his head. "I got to stop thinking like that."

As he spoke, a light at the end of the tunnel he was walking down came into view. It looked reddish, but anything was better than the complete darkness he'd been encompassed by so far, and so his spirits rose when he saw it. Picking up his pace, Link made his way toward what became clear was an exit from this tunnel.

He felt his jaw drop slightly when he finally made it out of the tunnel. The room he was in now was really big, with a vaulted ceiling above and a pool of magma in the center. The walls weren't exactly spherical, or smooth, but they were round in a liberal sense of the word. He couldn't be sure, but it looked almost large enough to hold the entirety of Hyrule Castle Town inside of it, with room to spare.

"Wow," he heard himself say. Off to his right, a commotion erupted. When he looked, he saw Lloyd run, screaming, his right arm on fire, from the mouth of another tunnel. A laser beam shot after him and Lloyd barely had time to dodge before a small portion of the rock where his foot had been was momentarily liquefied.

Lloyd stopped once he'd reached far enough away from the tunnel and frantically started to pat his arm to put out the fire. Fortunately, the overalls and jacket were made from tough, Dwarven know-how. Since Dwarves were oft known to be working around forges and fire, the material was more or less flame retardant and would take heat of great temperature to cause it to combust.

Link hurried over to Lloyd to help put out the fires, but by time he reached him, Lloyd's arm was already flame free. A few black stains were the only proof he'd been on fire in the first place. "Holy crap, that was close," Lloyd rasped. He coughed into his fist a couple times. Then he noticed Link. "Link!" he shouted as loud as he could. "You're okay! I was beginning to worry a little bit."

"I'm fine, but what about you?" Link asked. "You looked like you were going to be killed, or you just came back from the dead."

"Ah… uh…" Lloyd chuckled before he coughed, a cloud of black shooting from his mouth. In a cracking voice, Lloyd rasped, "It… was kind of close. But I made it." Lloyd coughed hard into his fist again. This time when he spoke, his voice was a little clearer. "The traps in this place are insane. It's like they wanted to build traps that were alive or something. Honestly, who builds statues that can see and shoot at you with beams of light?"

"Oh, you mean Beamos?" Link asked. "They used all the time in Hyrule. I think. I've never actually seen one. They're supposed to be in the temples and stuff, guarding treasure from robbers, but I've never left Hyrule Castle Town."

Lloyd's confounded stare of incredulity was broken when the sound of high pitched screams reached their ears. Both boys turned to the only tunnel left unexplored in time to see Zelda, Genis, and Raine run out. On their heels was a veritable army of re-animated skeletons whose eye sockets glowed with an unearthly red inner glow.

Lloyd took off toward the others as soon as he saw they were in trouble. It took Link a moment to remember he was holding a sword and he too ran to help. The two boys arrived, swords flashing in the light given off by the pool of magma. They carved huge swaths through the terribly uncoordinated gang of undead skeleton monsters, a feat that wasn't too hard considering that the beasts did nothing to avoid the hits or simply walked straight into the blows.

Zelda and Genis were soon joining in on the battle, shooting with arrow and magic to pick up the slack where Lloyd and Link were unable get in time. Even Raine managed to knock the marrow out of a few skeletal foes before the flood of undead finally waned. When it was all done, they were surrounded by a several piles of bones that continued to shake and rattle, despite their unattached states.

"Quick," Zelda said, "they'll reform soon if we don't get rid of the bones." She looked about the room and quickly spotted the magma lake. Seeing one skull sitting happily in front of her, she took too steps forward and punted the rounded appendage the fifteen feet between her and the magma. The skull feel with a hissing scream into the magma with a soft 'bloop' sound.

The others quickly got the idea and began relocating the bones of the other Stalfos. Some of them would reform while they worked, but those were easily torn apart by either Lloyd or Link. In short order, all the Stalfos parts were safely melting away in the pool of magma, having left no evidence of their presence.

"Whew," Genis said. He whipped the sheen of sweat from his forehead. "That was a lot of work. Never defeated monsters like that before. Usually I can blast them with a fireball or something and then they just go poof and disappear."

"Re-animated monsters like that are the product of a kind of necromancy or some other similar dark art," Raine said. "If the dark mage is skilled enough, his summoned undead creature or golem could be undefeatable by normal methods."

"But," Zelda said, "how long had these creatures been down here? How powerful did the magic have to be for these Stalfos to continue to be active this much time later?"

Genis shrugged. "I'm just glad they're all toast now. Those things were a pain. Oh, hey, Link. Where did you get those gloves and that sword?"

"Oh yeah," Lloyd said. "That's right. You had a wooden sword last time we saw you. Where'd that one come from?"

"I got it fro-"

A rumbling from under their feet cut Link off. The earthquake gradually increased in intensity until it suddenly disappeared as fast as it had appeared. The group looked at one another and then around the room, but nothing aside from the swelling magma looked out of place.

The magma swell erupted and a skeletal figure, formed from many smaller pieces of skeleton and encased in a clear crystal like armor that glowed red from exposure to the liquid rock, was revealed. It placed two giant clawed hands encased in the same clear crystal like armor on the ground on either side of the group and then leaned down to roar at them, this time with a very loud, rumbling, deep and terrible cry.

* * *

This temple's taking forever, to get out of. Over a year, in fact, heh. That said, we're reaching the end of it and the next chapter will vault us into the next arc within the Aselian side of things. Everyone's favorite villain gets to take center stage, providing some unneeded obstacles for our harried heroes. I wonder how things will turn out, though anyone who's read the original Legend! should know the general direction I'll go in.

Posted: 1 - 30 - 2011


	14. XIV Chapter Fourteen

Legend!

The Forgotten Hero and the Eternal Swordsman

By I.K.A. Valian

_**Chapter **__**Fourteen: Fire Seal IV**_

* * *

_**Victory & Defeat**_

* * *

**The Great Wight:**** Diamond Stalfos of the Flame**

Link barely had time to feel a shiver run up his spine before he was shoved to the side by Lloyd. Moments later a gigantic diamond encased boney hand smashed into the ground where he'd been standing. The rock buckled under the blow like a puddle of water buckles under the weight of a meteor.

"Link! Get up!" Link, disoriented from the fall and the shock of being faced with a monster probably comparable in size to Hyrule Castle, shakily got to his feet as ordered. He stumbled back and forth, feeling the floor move beneath his feet as the diamond encased Stalfos giant lifted its fist from the crater it had created in the floor. Several more seconds went by as he dumbly watched the diamond hand lift high into the air. "Link," someone shouted, "Run!"

Link realized several seconds after the fist began to fall directly over him why he should have obeyed that terrified command. What little spine he had grown since he chose to come on this journey quickly melted. His knees locked up, eyes grew wide, and he gasped deeply as the realization that he was going to die literally fell upon him.

Some part of his ravaged fight or flight system told Link to raise his gloved hands above his head to protect him. And then the balled up diamond fist had smashed into him. A new crater was created and shockwaves sent tumbling when the fist impacted with the floor.

Zelda gasped, raising her hand to her mouth, her eyes wide as saucers as she took in the reality of what she'd just seen. The bearer of Courage had just been squished like a bug by one of the monsters typical of those previous bearers had defeated handily. The only reason she remained standing, despite how slack her body felt, was the shock of it all.

Lloyd, who had only made it half way to push Link out of the way a second time, fell to his knees in front of the giant hand. A grimace of rage was mixed with the pall of disbelief on his face, making him appear confused.

Raine and Genis both stood watching, their mouths hanging open. Neither had expected something as dramatic and violent as that. The very real possibility that they'd just witnessed their own demise left them almost as pale as their hair.

And then everyone realized that the Stalfos hadn't lifted his fist again. If anything, it appeared that the giant beast was growling and grimacing as it tried to pry its fist out of the pile of Link parts it had just pushed it into. When the monster finally did pull back, it was with a roar of pain as its entire fist shattered into hundreds of tiny shards.

The diamond hand exploded in a cloud of dust that sparkled in the magma light. In the center of this vortex of mineral impossibilities was Link. He was still standing with his hands held above his head, but now his gloves were putting off an amount of light that rivaled the sun on a clear skied day.

"Link!" Zelda shouted in disbelief. "You… you're not dead!"

Link opened his eyes and blinked a few times. The light coming from the gloves died down to a dull glow as he lowered them. "I… I'm alive. But… How?"

"Never mind," Lloyd shouted. He was already back on his feet and at Link's side. "Your gloves can hurt that thing, so it looks like we have a fighting chance! Professor Raine, stay in back with Genis and Zelda and use long range attacks while we keep its attention. If Link can destroy all its body parts, then we'll win."

Raine and Zelda nodded and moved back away from the pool of magma. Genis grinned as he gripped his Kendama. Glowing blue Mana began to pool at his feet.

Link shakily looked back up at the giant diamond Stalfos. Lloyd wanted him to fight that thing. Even if it was with help, he was being counted on to beat it because he was wearing these gloves. Link already had a finger under the gloves to pull them off when something inside him forced him to stop.

'_**So the first chance you get to be something and you're already running for the door… Smooth, loser. Real smooth.**_'

Link jerked his finger from inside the glove and clenched both fists. Mentally willing the dark voice to leave him alone, Link retrieved his discarded sword and joined Lloyd at the ready to fight this thing. He wasn't sure what he was going to do, but he was going to do… something.

"Okay Link," Lloyd said as he warily watched the Diamond Stalfos move about. It appeared that after it got over the initial shock of losing a limb, it was re-arranging itself. Parts of it were moving down into the magma pool while others were shifting up to become part of the new hand it was forming. "Here's the plan. When it's done rebuilding its hand, it's going to come at us again. The others are relatively safe as long as we keep its attention on us. If it takes a swipe at you, I think all you'll need to do is give it a good punch."

"But what about you?" Link asked, concerned that his friend would more than likely end up like everyone had thought he had before the diamond fist exploded. "You don't have anything to protect you. Why don't you take one of my gloves?"

"No time," Lloyd said, suddenly taking off to the left. Link frowned but took off to the right. The Diamond Stalfos' hand was complete and it had begun to attack. Lloyd ran as quickly as he could while keeping an eye on the enemy and shouting obscene names at the monster.

Something Lloyd was saying must have struck the monster's ire because it began to turn toward him. It gave a rumbling roar as it lifted its hand and smashed it down, barely missing Lloyd's ribbons. Lloyd dodged two more similar attacks before a blast of ice smashed into its head.

The magical ice quickly dissipated, but the effect was clear to see in the cracking of the diamond around the giant skull. However, the immense size of the skull compared to the blast of ice minimized any damage it might have done. The monster didn't even acknowledge a hit before it again attempted to smash Lloyd.

"Damn, my attacks aren't powerful enough," Genis said. He stomped his foot and began channeling his magic again. "I don't care how many times I have to cast this, I'll do what I can to help."

Raine channeled her own magic as well, focusing it on her staff. The wood began to radiate green Mana as the spell she was focusing on neared completion. Finally, she cast the spell, shouting "First Aid", as she swung her staff over her head.

The green Mana gathered at the crystal on the top of the staff and, when Raine swung the staff, was flung out into the chamber. The blob of green Mana flew through the air until it hit Lloyd, sealing up any cuts, bruises, or other wounds he'd suffered from dodging the spray of rocks and shrapnel when the a diamond fist landed.

Link dodged the back swing of one of the failed attempts to squish Lloyd. Then he rolled under the Stalfos' next attack. Then he passed Lloyd. The older boy had given him this crazed look that, if Link didn't think Lloyd was a sane, common sense person, made Lloyd appear as if he were having the time of his life.

Link pushed those thoughts aside when the Stalfos' arm pulled back again. After dodging the back swing, Link decided to take the offensive and leaped. Before the diamond hand could pass over his head, Link jumped into its path, released one hand from his sword to form a fist, and reared it back. He waited until the diamond fist was on top of him to unleash his attack.

Visually, Zelda thought it quite ridiculous, to see a small figure with a fist comparable to a needle point attempting to stop a fist the size of a house. But the resulting storm of diamond dust when the house sized fist exploded was like watching needle pop a water balloon. If it weren't for the fact that Link was the Bearer of Courage and that impossible tended to be their middle names, then Zelda wouldn't have believed it.

The Diamond Stalfos roared in pain, but did not stop to re-arrange its body parts again. Instead, the great undead beast turned its attention to Link and attacked with its still whole left hand. Link dodged the blow and took off running.

He couldn't believe what he'd done or how hard his heart was pumping. It felt like either the sheer incredible rush of adrenaline would kill him or his heart would give out from all the stress. He was simultaneously terrified and elated.

A fourth blast of magical ice slammed into the side of the diamond skull of the Stalfos, adding to the cracks there, but doing little noticeable damage. Genis bit back a curse as he started gathering more mana for another spell. "I hate being so weak. If only I had a more powerful spell, then I'd put a dent in it."

"Dent… Dent!" Zelda, up until now, had been shooting arrows at the ice weakened spots created by Genis' spells. She'd received similar results to what Genis was experiencing, basically, not more than a small crack. Now though, an idea had popped into her head. "Genis, have you ever imbued an object with elemental magic?" Zelda motioned held an arrow out toward Genis. He blinked once, twice, and then his eyes lit up as he realized what she was talking about.

"But what about your magic seal?" Genis looked from the arrow to Zelda with a frown. Behind him, Link and Lloyd continued to dodge the fumbling attempts at Diamond Stalfos Bug Swatting. "Won't that stop it from working?"

"It would if I were the one casting the magic," Zelda explained. "So do you think you can create an Ice Arrow?"

"Might as well give a try. One Ice Arrow coming up!" Genis grinned as Mana began welling up and pooling around his feet. "I'm going to put everything I have left into this spell. That should give that thing more than a stinging annoyance."

"First Aid!" Raine lobbed another blob of healing Mana out into the room, the fifth one, toward Link. "This thing had better be defeated soon. I'm running low on Mana."

Lloyd dodged another one of the backswings from the left arm, still bewildered and elated by the fact that he was fighting with a monster that was as big as a mountain. How many people could say they've done that? He bet not even Kratos could claim he'd fought something this large. Once he and the others defeat this thing, Kratos would be forced to acknowledge that he was strong enough to help. Not to mention, he'd get to brag about beating a monster as big as a mountain. Lloyd couldn't stop from laughing as he dodged another swing from the monster's left arm.

Link approached Lloyd as he dodged and jumped right at the monster's left hand. He pulled back his fist, ready to punch and then waited. Then, BAM!

With both of its arms now gone, the Stalfos roared out its rage. Lloyd and Link slowed to a stop, watching the behemoth beast to see what it would do next. The roaring grew so strong that pieces of the ceiling began to fall down.

"It's going to cause a cave in!" Link shouted.

"Icicle!"

"Take this, Ice Arrow!"

The missile of ice streaked through the air and smashed into the side of the skull. Small cracks that had already formed on that side of the diamond skull spread to cover the rest of its body. Despite that, the monster remained whole, if not severely weakened.

"No!" Genis shouted. "It's still alive and now I'm all out of Mana!"

"If only we had something bigger to hit it with!" Raine shouted. Zelda strung up another arrow and drew the string of her bow back to aim. But she needn't have bothered.

As if hearing Raine's plea, or perhaps because fate is a cruel and twisted mistress, the ceiling finally gave way in a large, fiery explosion. Large masses of rock fell from above and smashed the remaining pieces of the Diamond Stalfos. When the rumbling stopped, and the dust cleared, a hole now existed in the ceiling, the pool of magma had been filled in with debris, and everyone but the giant monster was dead.

"Yeah!" Lloyd shouted. "Great work everyone! Nobody can stand our might!"

Zelda and the Sage siblings joined up with Lloyd and Link just as a door behind them opened. It wasn't part of the tunnels they'd come from earlier and a light shined from within, illuminating the now very dark cavern alongside Raine's glowing staff. As everyone else moved to see what was inside the new room, with Raine leading the way, Link slowed until he was in the back.

He had a very hard time believing what had just happened actually happened. No, not believing it happened, but that it happened to him. Not only had he survived, but he'd been instrumental in the survival of everyone else. If this was an example of what he could do, then maybe it was possible he had it in him to be better. Not like the Hero of Time, no, but a better Link, who isn't so afraid anymore. That idea felt good to him.

"Hey Link, it's another one of those pedestals." Link hurried into the next room and left the now pitch black chamber behind.

The new chamber was really small, round room with a circular diagram carved into the floor. The walls were smooth and the ceiling was domed. Hanging from the center of the domed ceiling was a large bowl that was the source of firelight.

Link joined the others gathered around the center of the circular floor carvings. There, a pedestal stood with a silver curved fang like object floating over it.

"Is this another kind of Triforce?" Genis asked. "Why is it silver?"

"I've never seen anything like this, but…" Zelda crossed her arms and tilted her head to the side as she surveyed the object. "Maybe it's related to the black ones somehow considering the similarities with pedestal. But I just don't know how other than that."

"Allow me to explain." Everyone turned or looked to the entrance to the chamber and found standing there with a wicked and imperious grin on his face, a half-elven man wearing a blue uniform. His eyes were squinted as he surveyed the room and its occupants, much like one looks over a basket of fruit for the best choice. "What you see before you is part of an object called the Proto-Triforce. Obviously, inferior beings such as you won't be able to comprehend this, so I'll take it and be on my way."

Lloyd unsheathed his swords and moved to stand between the newcomer and the silver Proto-Triforce piece. The others followed suit and before long, the blue suited half-elf had an arrow, three swords, a staff, and a well used Kendama pointed at him. "Who are you," Lloyd demanded.

"You break into a tomb and go about raiding treasure that you don't even understand and you want me to tell you my name?" The half-elf laughed darkly. "My boy, where did you learn your manners from?"

"Kvar!" The shout, clearly originating from Kratos, originated from behind the man in the doorway. He rolled his eyes and glanced over his shoulder. In the darkness, through the hole, he could just make out the seraphim's silhouette falling down through the hole, followed by two other figures.

"Oh bother, and I was so hoping to have killed that pathetic inferior being by now. I suppose it will just have to wait until next time."

Kvar turned back around and rushed Lloyd. He grabbed Lloyd by the throat and spun around to grab the silver piece of the Proto-Triforce with his other hand. At that very moment, Kratos blasted into the chamber with his sword held high to attack. Before he could reach either Kratos or Lloyd, and before anyone else could step in to help the strangling teen, Kvar and Lloyd vanished into particles of glowing mana indicative of an emergency teleport.

"Lloyd!"

* * *

**Taken and Gone**

"That's strange…"

Jestin frowned and turned, his seat swiveling with him, to face Shelcy. She was frowning at the screen in front of her with her hand supporting her chin. It was a pose that Elven woman hadn't taken since before the calamity began.

"Mind explaining?" Jestin asked. "Chatter's been low for a while now and I've got some free time." He clasped his hands in front of him and leaned back.

-Krssss- "This is Kratos. I'm requesting an emergency teleport _**NOW**_!"

"Next break, okay, Jestin? I've still got some more bugs to work out of the system." Shelcy dropped her hand from her chin and started typing. Jesting stretched his arms above his head and nearly jumped out of his seat when Kratos called again, this time shouting.

"Answer me! Damn you!" Kratos shouted. "I know you're there!"

Jestin spun his seat back to face his console and snatched up the discarded headset. He fumbled with it in his attempt to shove it back onto his head when a new voice came across the speakers.

"I apologize for that," the cool feminine voice said. "We've run into some trouble so if you could get us back to the base as quickly as possible we'd appreciate it. And it would help if Yuan was there when we arrived. There's been a very… bad development."

"Ahh… yes," Jestin said. "I'll get right on it. Be advised though that the teleporter has just finished being repaired. It may not be operable."

"Thank you." With that the connection was cut. Jestin let loose a long stream of pent up air.

"So much for the lull in chatter, eh?" asked Shelcy.

Jestin felt his shoulders sag and consciously straightened them as he opened a channel to Yuan.

* * *

**To Asgard!**

Sura slowed to a stop in front of Lord Yuan's door. She knew that she was supposed to deliver the message to him as soon as she could. Normally, nothing would stop her from doing so, but in this case, there were loud frantic voices emanating from behind the door.

She hesitated for a moment longer and listened, with trepidation creeping up her spine, as a deep male voice and a higher female voice continued their assault. She assumed that it was her leader that was on the receiving end, because she'd heard his raised voice before and these two voices sounded nothing like it. Steeling her nerves, Sura clenched her fists and moved forward.

The door slid open with the customary hiss and Sura stormed into the room as she would if she were storming an enemy stronghold. Ready for the worst verbal firestorm she'd ever experienced, Sura was surprised when she stumbled into a deathly quiet room. Once she got her balance back she looked into the room with wide open eyes.

Kratos was looking at her with a face that could melt solid polycarbonate. Beside him, Raine and Zelda were giving her curious, but equally irate, expressions. Sura swallowed loudly as she took a step away from the rigid anger radiating from the three.

Lord Yuan leaped out of his chair and strode quickly between Sura and the rest of the room. Unlike everyone else present, he was as calm and reserved as he usually was. This served to still Sura's nerves enough for her to remember what she came here for.

"Did you need something, Private Elist?" Yuan asked as he grabbed her by the shoulders to steady her. To his eye she looked shell shocked.

"Uh… oh, yes! Yes." Sura stood straighter and saluted. The move was calculated and done with the obvious ease of practice, unlike the wild salutes not too long before. "Sir, Captain Beask and Captain Persis have requested your presence in the control room. They said it was urgent and related to the Kvar-"

Before Sura finished saying whatever the rest of the message was, all four occupants in the room were gone. Sura blinked a couple times as the realization that she was alone caught up to her. Unsure what to make of it, Sura turned and walked from the office.

Yuan's shoulders scraped against the door before it had a chance to fully open as he entered the control room. Shelcy and Jestin looked up from their stations and nodded at Yuan. Yuan nodded back and crossed his arms as he stopped between the two work stations. Kratos, Raine, and Zelda remained at the back of the room by the door.

"What do you have for me?" Yuan asked.

"I received an anomalous signal a while back that didn't match any of the signatures logged in our databanks," Shelcy said. "It looked like the power signature of a teleportation but because of the way the system is all bugged up, I had to do some checking to be sure."

"And?" Yuan asked.

"That would be where I come in," Jestin said. "Kratos contacted us and requested the evacuation shortly after Shelcy noticed the anomaly. She asked me to calculate the end coordinates of the teleport and I found…"

"Asgard," Shelcy said. She typed something into the console and a map of Sylvarant appeared on the wall-screen. A red dot pulsed above the spot marked with the name Asgard. "The strange thing was that the exact coordinates were inside of the mountain. I assume that's because of the bugs still in the system."

Yuan nodded. "Good work, both of you." He turned and looked back at Kratos. "Kratos, it will take the teleporter another ten minutes to recharge the capacitor coils. Make sure Zelos and Sheena are there too. They can head for the Mausoleum to get the Sylph pact while you search for Lloyd and Kvar."

"I'll be ready," Kratos said. He turned and quickly walked out of the room.

"I'll go get Genis and Link from the infirmary," Raine said to Zelda. "I'll meet you at Teleport."

"And I shall go and retrieve some rations to take with us," Zelda said with a nod. "All of this running around has been very tiring and we've not had a chance to replenish our strength."

Yuan turned back to the two captains and said, "Jestin, I need you to calculate the coordinates for just outside of Asgard and send them down to Teleport. They just finished rebuilding the thing and I'll be damned if it stops working because of faulty target software."

"I'm just happy it's not melting all over the floor anymore," Shelcy said. "The power surge when we teleported you out of Iselia nearly put the system out of commission for good. I don't know what Hughes did, but he got the teleport working again."

"He used a bunch of older, outdated parts," Yuan explained quickly. "Jestin, one more thing. Contact the team holed up in Luin. Tell them to make their way, I don't care how, to the Asgard Human Ranch to check it out. And tell them to be careful. We don't need them being killed."

"On it boss," Jestin said.

* * *

**A Parting**

Link shivered as the teleport completed. The feeling of being pulled inside out from your toes wasn't something he ever expected to get used to. Frankly, he hoped he didn't have to go through it again, but he highly doubted he could complete this journey without the thing.

"It certainly feels like it's warming up now," Zelda said. She shivered nevertheless as Raine lifted her staff and lit the end of it with white light.

Zelos said, "Man, this place is almost as lively as a graveyard. I once had a party in a graveyard. With how scared the Hunnies were, I had to have nailed over twent-ouch!"

Sheena scowled as she withdrew her hand from slapping the Tethe'allan Chosen. "Enough with your stupid ramblings, idiot. Which way is this Mausoleum?"

Kratos glanced about him, left then right, and finally settled for right. "That way," he said, pointing. "It should be a five hour journey if you use the Rheound."

"I'm driving this bad boy," Zelos said as he pulled a square box from his pocket, pressed a button, and watched the dune-buggy-esque Rheound pop out. Zelos quickly hopped into the craft, behind the wheel, and shouted, "Sheena, I saved you a seat right next to me."

"I'm sitting in the back," Sheena announced.

Link took a deep breath as he came to a decision. He really wanted to go looking for Lloyd. But a casual comment Genis made in the infirmary about how it was curious the fire dungeon was below the Fire Seal got him thinking. If there was a piece of the Proto-Triforce, as that guy Kvar called it, near the elemental source of fire, then perhaps there would be another one by the source of wind, which is where Sheena was going.

That Kvar guy knew what the Proto-Triforce was. He even made it a point to grab the silver part before he disappeared with Lloyd. That meant that his main objective was the Proto-Triforce.

"I'm coming too," Link said. He ran over to the Rheound and hopped into the front seat as Zelos started the electric motor up. The lights on the vehicle came to life, illuminating the surrounding area.

"Link!" Genis ran up to the Rheound and looked up at Link. "How could you just abandon Lloyd like this?"

"Genis, I've thought this out," Link said. "I think that there's another piece of the Proto-Triforce at this Wind Seal. If I can get it, then I'll have something that Kvar guy wants. We can trade it for Lloyd if you guys can't find him."

"How can you know there's another piece over there," Genis said. "For all we know, Kvar could have already gotten it."

"Remember the riddle Genis," Zelda said. She walked up behind the young half-elf and pulled him back. "It indicated that one of the pieces of the Proto-Triforce would be at each elemental source." Looking at Link, she said, "Go. Stay safe."

"For you, Princess," Zelos said with a devilish smile, "anything. But will there be a prize when I get back?"

"Zelos…" Sheena readied her foot to kick Zelos in the back of the head, but he got the idea and hit the accelerator. As the Rheound disappeared into the darkness, Kratos cleared his throat to gather everyone's attention to him.

"The city of Asgard is this way" Kratos said. He pointed in the opposite direction that the Rheound went. "I don't think it is likely we'll find anything, but do not take that to mean it is safe. Be on guard and stay close. We'll be moving as fast as possible."

* * *

**A/N: Thus the Fire Temple ends, and I finally update this story. Yay... Lloyd's kidnapped. Link makes a decision requiring a backbone! Genis made an ICE ARROW! What's this world coming too?**

**(Actually, this world is going to explode before too long, so I suppose that stuff's pretty normal...)**

**I do hope this chapter is all you dear readers hoped it would be. If it is, please, review and tell me how wondrous it is. If it is not, then please review an tell him how awful it is. If you don't feel one way or the other about it, well... just review, dang it.**

**:P**

**Thanks for reading.**

**Posted 7 - 14 - 2011  
**


	15. XV Chapter Fifteen

Legend!

The Forgotten Hero and the Eternal Swordsman

By I.K.A. Valian

* * *

_**Chapter Fifteen**__**: **__**Balacruf Mausoleum**_

* * *

**Unexpected Consequences**

A knock at the door attempted to pull Yuan away from the circuit board laid out in front of him. Yuan ignored it and continued his work, idly hoping that whoever it was would go find Botta to report to. But the knocking repeated itself every twenty seconds until Yuan finally released a labored grunt and slammed his soldering gun down on the desk.

"Come!" Yuan barked and then glared at the man who he had hoped would have taken care of the problem for him. Williams followed behind Botta at a quick pace. Yuan waited for the two men to stop and face him before he spoke again. "What is it? This better be good."

"Sir," Botta began. "Hughes has reported that the computer has been set up to monitor the Triforce Reactor. The addition of the second black Triforce piece has, contrary to our predictions, stabilized the output of power as well as increase the amount of amplification. With Hughes free, the repairs to the base have sped up significantly and it should be at peak operating capability in a couple hours. But… that's the least of our problems."

"Lord Yuan." Williams stepped forward. "It seems that whatever happened at the Fire Seal turned the heat back on outside. With the addition of that extra trinket, we've been able to keep the inside of the base cool, however outside is another matter. It's already over the boiling point of water outside. Fire Elementals are forming everywhere in addition to the reappearance of the natural desert creatures. Before the catastrophe, a few of these monsters would be no problem, but my guys are not equipped to handle this many of them."

Yuan leaned back in his chair and rubbed his eyes. "I suspect that the temperature will continue to rise beyond even the normal desert temperature. It's a good thing that the next seal they've gone to is the Balacruf Mausoleum. We'll need Sylph's power to mitigate the heat of Efreet."

Yuan stood and started walking. Botta and Williams fell in step behind him. "In the mean time we'll need to set up an engineering core, dedicated solely to weapons and armor manufacture, to combat the special circumstances we currently find ourselves in. Oh how I love Fire Elementals." Yuan grumbled that last part out, but both Botta and Williams chuckled at it. "I'll look for a Dwarf named Dirk among the refugees and see if he'll head the new core up. He fought with us in Iselia and I do not doubt his skills. Besides, having a Dwarf's crafting skills will certainly make things go smoother."

"Yes, sir. There is one more thing," Botta said as they continued down the hallway toward the hangar. "The team from Luin reported in. They found nothing at the Asgard Human Ranch. Not even the Humans were left, though it certainly looked like they'd all escaped through the large holes in the Ranches fences."

"I see," Yuan hummed. Something about that seemed like it should be important, but he pushed it aside for now. "Botta, contact that team, tell them to make for the Tower of Mana. Have them clear the way of traps and such to make it easier for our team to get in, get the pact, and get out. It'd be nice to have our daylight returned to us, provided Aska and Luna are cooperative."

"Right away, sir," Botta said. He veered off at the next intersection and vanished down another hallway.

Without slowing his stride, Yuan continued, saying, "Williams, get back to the defenses. Take a squad of those new guys."

"I hope you don't mean the humans we just armed and started training just a couple hours ago," Williams said. He didn't need to look at Yuan twice to know that his boss did, indeed, mean those humans. "Oh dear Martel, this won't end well."

"I trust your famed skill as a commander will inspire them to great heights," Yuan said. "Besides, this will be great training experience for the inevitable confrontation with Kvar."

Williams grunted and gave a short salute before he too veered off down a hallway. Yuan quickened his pace, a soft frown forming on his face. The information about the broken fences of the Human Ranch continue to hang in his mind's eye, taunting him with something he knew should have immediately become clear to him.

* * *

**Asgard Occupied  
**

Kratos crept along the rock face wall as he, and the three following him, entered the city of Asgard while avoiding the Desian patrols. The town was lit up by torches that had been placed every so many feet along the most well worn foot paths. The four of them kept to the shadows as Kratos led them up a set of stairs to stand in front of a darkened storefront that had been bashed in by some monster or an explosion of some kind.

"If the Desians are here, then that Kvar guy has to be too," Genis whispered, "and Lloyd."

"What I don't understand," whispered Zelda, "is where these men came from. I though all Desians had ranches as their bases of operation."

"From what I've seen of the patrol patterns," Kratos said in low voice, "the Desians here are protecting this area from something. Asgard is inside of a valley with steep walls and would be easier to defend than a ranch. They must have come here from the Asgard Human Ranch after the world went dark."

"Perhaps they ran into the wave of wild monsters like we did," Raine said.

"Or worse," Genis added. He shuddered as the memory of the zombie fish flashed in through his mind.

"Regardless," Kratos said, "we need to find where they're hiding their new base, because these patrols can't represent all the forces that Kvar had with him."

To their left, a loud noise caught their attention. They watched as a group of three Desians exited one of the excavated ruin tunnels and stopped just in front of the opening. One of the three men sneered at his fellow, a shorter man with red hair peeking out from under his helmet.

"Now listen here runt," said the sneering Desian. "The only reason we're trusting you is because you're a half-elf too and because Emperor Kvar said you wouldn't do nothing as long as the inferior beings of Asgard are being held. If you can prove yourself by guarding this door from monsters, then maybe we'll let you visit your little girlfriend."

The two Desians walked away from the now door guard laughing into the darkness. The door guard snarled as he spat on the ground and then kicked his spit. Kratos motioned toward everyone else to stay put once the two Desian bullies had gone off a ways.

"Wait," Zelda said. She grabbed his sleeve and spoke through his irritated scowl. "Don't kill him, Kratos. If he's doing what they say because they have his fiancé hostage, then he could help us get in without being noticed, provided we help him get her out."

"Hmm…" Kratos' eyes narrowed as he considered what Zelda had said. When he nodded, Zelda let go and Kratos continue off into the darkness.

* * *

**Raiders of the Lost Tomb**

The Rheound bumped and jostled as it roared down the path. Zelos slowed the vehicle as the road widened out and the trees lining the path became sparse. The brakes squealed lightly until the Rheound finally came to a stop.

"We're here," Sheena said as she lightly hopped out and onto the ground. She glanced left and then right, her eyes and face bathed red from the rear lights of the Rheound. "I get the feeling that we're not alone here," she said.

As soon as Link got out, Zelos brought out the box that the Rheound had popped out from. Link pointed at it questioningly. The Tethe'allan Chosen smirked mischievously and pressed the button and held it out toward the Rheound.

Link watched, eyes wide as saucers, as the Rheound was suddenly sucked into the small box in Zelos' hands. As an unfortunate side effect of putting the Rheound away, the light it gave off went as well, leaving the three in pitch black darkness. "What kind of magic is that?" Link asked.

"I'm more interested in why my secret weapon didn't faze you when I pulled the Rheound out the first time," Zelos said. He crossed his arms in the darkness, though no one could see him doing so. This made him sigh, realizing that the others were bereft of his beautiful face in the darkness now. A lecherous grin spread across his face when he realized what he could get away with in this darkness.

"Zelos," Sheena said, her voice rising in agitation. "Wipe that stupid grin off your face. Don't act surprised. Yes, I can see you. No you can't sneak up on me either."

"Wow, you can see in the dark?"

"No one can see in the dark, Link," Zelos said, right before a loud slapping noise could be heard through the clearing. "Sheena!" Zelos whined.

"You are about as stealthy as a wild boar in a china shop," the irate kunoichi hissed. "I don't need to see you, stupid chosen. Now let's figure out how we're going to get to the entrance. We should probably pull the Rheound back out so we can use the lights on it to see."

"Fear not, my voluptuous hunny, for I have that under control." Cloth rustled around and then a beam of light appeared. The light projected from a metal stick Zelos held and illuminated whatever he pointed it at. He settled the light on Sheena's chest. "Behold my artificial torch. Courtesy of the Renegades."

"Great, come on." Sheena immediately grabbed the torch from Zelos hand and walking off. "Pervert."

"Oh come, darling, you know I only have eyes for you."

Link followed behind the two bickering Tethe'allans along the path that Sheena found with the torch. It didn't take them long to find the entrance to the mausoleum and the problem that went with it. Zelos was the first one to react.

"How are we supposed to get in if we can't open the stupid door?" he asked.

Sheena walked up to the door and studied the way it smoothly aligned with no gaps to the surrounding wall. Taking a step back, she then leaped forward and kicked the door. The door appeared to be laughing when Sheena quickly started hopping around on her uninjured foot while trying to cradle the other.

"Door, one. Sheena, zero."

"Oh shut up, you idiot, unless you've got a better idea."

"I, for a fact, know that I don't have the strength necessary to break down a magically sealed polycarbonate door. Not even an angel would."

"I… might have an… idea."

Zelos and Sheena fell silent. They turned to Link who was sheepish in his downcast study of the ground beneath his feet. Zelos sighed and folded his arms across his chest.

"What's your idea, Link?" Sheena asked.

"In Hyrule, there are lots of stories about temples that are built underground. Sometimes they're so old that sometimes people fall down into a chamber that's collapsed." Link looked off into the darkness not illuminated by the torch. "Maybe there's another way in."

Sheena frowned and then glanced at Zelos. He shrugged back at her noncommittally. Sheena shook her head and started walking.

"Alright then, we'll look for another way in," she said. "It shouldn't be too hard. This place must at least be a couple hundred years old."

They first skirted around the large, perimeter of the square building, looking for any holes in the walls. They found many crumbling statues, piles of rubble, and pillars that once held up something that was no longer there. But there was no way directly into the building.

Turning away from the building, they started trekking out and away from the main pathways trodden by pilgrimages. As the forest became denser, the search became harder. The torch could only project light so far and with more trees getting in the way, it didn't go as far as it used to.

"I'm starting to think that we won't find anything," Zelos said as he pushed a branch out of his way. "We must have already been searching for over an hour now. And it's hot! Why the heck is it so hot? The sun isn't even out!"

"Efreet," Sheena said. "Because I broke the seal, or whatever, and made a pact, his power is now flowing freely into the world."

"So does that mean we have to get Celsius before it starts to cool off?" Zelos asked. He wiped his forehead of the sweat and continued trudging through the dense forest. "We won't be able to make it in time… at this rate."

"Actually, I think that we-aaaaaahhhhhh…" Sheena's scream slowly faded until there was a dull thump. Also coinciding with Sheena's sudden fall was the light going out.

"What happened?" Link asked. He felt his heart racing as his adrenaline spiked. "Where'd the light go? Why did Sheena scream?"

"Hold your horses kid," Zelos said. There was a sound in front of Link and then Zelos shouted, "Hey down there! You alright?" The only response was a delayed groaning. Zelos chuckled and shouted, "I'm sending the kid down next, look out."

"What?" Link shouted. He felt a pair of hands find him in the darkness, grab him around the middle, lift him into the air, and then drop him. The part of Link's mind that didn't realize what was going on expected the ground to appear shortly, only it didn't. "Ahhhh!"

The fall seemed to last forever before it suddenly ended when he smashed into something soft. That something grunted loudly when he landed and the tumbled with him a short distance. Breathing was hard for Link and he assumed it was hard for Sheena, if that was who he fell onto.

Another loud scream filled the air. Then Zelos landed heavily on his chest. While he was gasping for air, Sheena finally managed to push herself to her feet. Yes, Link noticed, she was definitely having a hard time breathing. Despite that, she moved as fast as she could, not very fast, to Zelos and kicked him in the side.

"Ough…" Zelos curled up on himself and cradled his abdomen. "Sheena…" he rasped.

"You could… have waited… before tossing… the kid down…" Sheena grunted out.

"Oww…" Link groaned.

Recovering from their fall was easy enough since there was nothing broken. Zelos denied this and said he had a broken heart because Sheena caught Link and not him. Sheena kicked Zelos again for that. Once they were back on their feet they took stock of their new situation.

They stood in what at first appeared to be a cave, with stalactites and stalagmites crowding the room. The ceiling wasn't very high, just a foot taller than Zelos. The only thing that proved it was not a natural cavern was the hole they fell through. It was a perfectly cut square chute that led straight up.

"That is not natural made," Zelos said. He glanced at Sheena and smirked. "Have you ever thought of putting your love for falling into holes to good use? It's certainly helped us this time."

"Shut up, Zelos," Sheena huffed. She quickly turned and walked further into the chamber, taking the torch with her. "I think there's a path over here. Come on."

Link followed behind Zelos. A shiver ran up his spine as he realized he was in another dungeon, and there was probably another boss fight at the end of this. He could only hope it would be as easy to win this fight as it was the last one. But could he really do it without the others to help this time? He had to try though. For Lloyd.

He lifted his hands up in front of him and studied the gloves that he still wore. That doctor guy in the infirmary said that the gloves were magically attached to him. The only way to get them off was to either die or use up all his magic, also resulting in his death. Link considered the upside to having strength enhancing magical glove permanently attached to him; he'd never need help lifting things anymore.

The three of them continue through the cavern with Sheena in the lead. She swept the torch across each new area she came to, making sure of the pathway ahead of her before she moved. Zelos continue to talk, about nothing mostly, but sometimes he'd point out dangers ahead to be careful of.

They eventually reached a wall, but Sheena found a small tunnel that they could crawl through. On hands and knees, they each entered the tunnel. Link had to drag his sword behind him because it was so big, but the gloves made that job pretty easy. Once they were on the other side, they found themselves in a large chamber filled with light.

As soon as they'd entered, all along the curved walls, magical torches lit themselves. Sheena turned off the torch as they moved into the new room. The chamber was clear of hazards, unlike the path they'd just come from, almost as if it had been built the day before. The only indication that it had not been was the thick layer of dust they left tracks in.

At the center of the chamber was a wooden chest. Sheena and Zelos frowned at this. Link, unsure of where the urge came from, immediately walked up to the chest and kicked it open. Zelos and Sheena immediately reached out and pulled him back.

"Whoa, kid, just what the hell do you think you're doing?" Zelos demanded.

"I… I…" Link stuttered. "I just… felt like I had to open it. "I don't… know why. But I just had to open it."

"Hmmm." Sheena let go of Link and moved to inspect the chest. "There's just a scarf in here."

"Huh…" Zelos let go of Link and moved next to Sheena as she pulled the green strip of cloth out. "Definitely not my style and I don't think green's your color hunny. It wouldn't match your beautiful eyes."

"Thanks Zelos," she said flatly, "but I still won't go on a date with you. Link, how about you take it?" She held the green cloth out to him. Hesitantly, he reached out and took the cloth. It was really soft in his hands, a thought which made him wonder why he could feel anything through the gloves. But it really did feel soft.

"Thank you," he said. He hugged the scarf close to him and then wrapped it around his neck. It fit snugly and was quite warm, but the cave after the fall had chilled him so this was actually quite comforting.

After continuing their search of the room, they found another tunnel, this one with a door. Exiting the tunnel they walked into a vast chamber. They gaped at the twinkling lights of what appeared to be precious gems embedded in the floor and all the way around them to the ceiling.

"This is incredible," Zelos said. "I've never seen so many gems at once. And I've even been inside the King's treasure room!"

"Mizuho could build a city with this much wealth," Sheena said. "I can't believe I'm seeing what I'm actually seeing!"

"Hey! Hey, you!"

Startled out of their reverie, Sheen and Zelos immediately pulled their weapons out while Link fumbled with the large sword he was carrying behind his back. Their alarm was reassured when the one calling out revealed itself to be a tiny, floating ball of light.

"Hey! Listen! I don't know who you are, but you better get out of here quick!"

"What in the world is this thing?" Zelos asked as he and Sheena stared at the light ball in wonder.

"It's a fairy," Link said as he joined them, now with his sword finally out. Watched as the blue-white fairy bobbed up and down in the air and then zoomed straight to him.

"Hey! You found it! You found the scarf! I've been looking for that forever!"

"Whoa, calm down little one," Sheena said. "First tell us your name. Then tell us why we should be running?"

"Oh, right. Hello, my name is… well I can't remember my name, but call me Navi for now," Navi said. She spoke quickly in the high pitched voice of all fairy folk. She bobbed up and down as if she were bowing. "Oh and… what else was there? Oh yeah. Running. Run! Now! Before the Wind Drake returns!"

Navi spun around Zelos' head and then took off into the enormous jeweled cavern. The three of them watched the fairy disappear behind a jewel encrusted rocky outcropping. Zelos reached up and pulled his fingers through his hair and then pulled his hand back to see what came back.

"Aww…" he whined. "No fairy dust?"

"This isn't a fairy tale," Sheena said. "And what do you think she meant by Wind Drake?"

"ROOOOOOAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRR!"

The explosion of sound continued to echo throughout the huge chamber minutes after the distant source had fallen silent. The three interlopers looked at each other for one moment in silence. Then they bolted in the direction that the fairy came from.

* * *

**A/N: I must say, quite a surprise last chapter. It got five reviews in two days. Awesome. It got over 200 hits in the same amount of time. EPIC. Thanks to everyone who reviewed and read the story so far. I hope I don't disappoint with this chapter. We're coming up to the point where the first Legend! cut off. All of you readers who have patiently waited to find out what happens next, your wait is nearly over.**

**Oh yeah, please review this chapter. Thanks for reading.**

**Posted: 7 - 18 - 2011**


	16. XVI Chapter Sixteen

Legend!

The Forgotten Hero and the Eternal Swordsman

By I.K.A. Valian

* * *

_**Chapter Sixteen: **__**Infiltration**_

* * *

**Foraging in Palmac****osta Ranch**

Fey Nashinawa cast her green-eyed vision over the impossibly dark landscape in front of her. She and two of the strongest soldiers Neil could spare stood before what used to be the front gates of the Palmacosta Human Ranch. Over the past few days, according to her own tallying of time which she was sure had been skewed by now, the three of them had made runs to the Hakonesia Peak, the Thoda docks, the Thoda Geyser, and the House of Salvation. The only thing they'd found at every stop was blood, broken bodies, monster parts, and abandoned buildings. The Human Ranch was the only thing left and it was already showing more signs of activity.

Fey lightly picked her way through the wreckage of the Ranch entrance. The two men behind her, holding a torch each, followed her at an easy pace with their swords at the ready. Once they got inside the entrance, the found everything trashed.

The fences were ripped apart as if a giant beast had ripped through it. Of the main buildings that they could see, there were large dents in the metal and holes in certain places. The ground was littered with pieces of metal that had been ripped from the buildings and tossed casually aside.

"What in the name of the goddess could do something like this to a Human Ranch?" asked one of the men following Fey. She glanced over her shoulder and saw it was Ray, the redhead. She shrugged and kept moving further into the ranch.

"The Desians must have finally pissed off something they couldn't handle," the other man, Donald, said. "Serves them right for all the blood they've spilled."

"There's only one problem with your assessment," Fey said as she pushed a diagonally leaning metal blade that had fallen against a building. It fell to the ground with a loud, dull thump. "There are not Desian bodies anywhere here."

"Holy crap, she's right," Ray said.

"Let's move into the main building and see if there's anything useful we can bring back to Palmacosta," Fey said. "Maybe the Desians left some of their advanced technology behind."

"I'd like to get my hands on one of them Raybits," said Donald. "All the stories I heard of them make them sound invincible."

"You just want to win our next duel," Ray said. He and Donald chuckled quietly.

Making their way across Ranch, they entered the main yard of the ranch. At the other end of the yard stood the imposing Administration building, which at one time had intact door, windows, and walls. As they neared the building, a loud thump echoed across the clearing behind them.

Hearts racing, leaped into the Admin building only to hide behind the side of the door and peer out into the darkness beyond. They didn't see anything or hear anything moving as the minutes stretched on, only the pitch black darkness beyond the sphere of light their torches produced.

"Damn," Fey said as she turned to the men and their torches. "With those lit up anything can see us and we can't see it."

"But… we can't move around without light to see," Ray said. "If we put these out, we'll be blind. At least with the light we can fight back whatever comes close to us."

"Hmm…" Fey looked back out of the doorway and watched, but nothing made itself known in the pitch veil. A small itch wormed its way through the back of her mind. "We're being hunted."

"W-what do you want to bet it's whatever these Desians pissed off?" Ray asked. "We should get out of here!"

"That would be a bad idea."

All three of them spun around. The two men pointed their swords at the newcomer while Fey unsheathed a dagger about as long as her forearm and held it at the ready. Standing just beyond the reach of the light was a shadowed form that took a few steps closer. Once he stepped into the light, it became clear that it was an old man wearing a brown cloak that covered his body.

"Wha- Who are you?" Ray shouted as he waved his sword threateningly at the old man. The old man looked tired, with dark rings under eyes that were haunted by a sight none of them could see. Fey took a deep breath, sheathed her dagger, and then held out a hand toward the two men to lower their swords.

"Calm down," Fey said. She continued to hold her hand out until the blades were no longer pointed at the old man. For a moment, she thought she could see the old man contemplating impaling himself onto the two blades. Anyone who was in a Human Ranch would probably have plenty of reason for seeking death. But they needed answers. "Old man, what's your name?"

The old man sighed. His whole body seemed to shake as he motioned for them to follow him. Fey glanced at the two men and nodded. They nodded back and the three of them followed the old man deeper into the Admin building.

Once they'd penetrated deeper into the building the state of the walls and floors seemed to improve. The dents and holes decreased as they moved until there were no more left. After a good fifteen minutes of walking, the old man stopped and turned to a closed blast door. He waved his hand over a pad sticking out of the wall next to it. With a slow buzz, the door slid upward halfway before halting with a metal on metal grinding noise.

"Inside," the old man said with a hushed urgency.

"You first," Fey said, holding her hand up to stop the men behind her from waltzing into what could be a trap.

"Very well," the old said. He ducked under the half open door and disappeared into the next room. Fey motioned for Ray to go first and then followed him while Donald pulled up the rear. Once inside the new room, they found nothing but darkness. The old man had disappeared.

"Crap!" Ray spat. "It's a trap!"

Before any of them could get out of the room, the door behind them slammed shut, and the room filled with bright white light. Temporarily blinded by the light, they were grabbed, tied up quickly, and dumped onto the ground. When they were finally able to see again, they found themselves on the business end of about twenty Desian Rifles.

"So much for the Desians having disappeared," Ray muttered.

* * *

**Breaking into Asgard**

The young man, who turned out to be a half-elf named Harley, led them into the Kvar's Base. Raine gained a very dark look when Harley opened a door carved into the wall of the cave he was 'guarding'. As they passed it, she looked upon the rubble that had been where the door was with tears streaking down her face. While Kratos ignored her, favoring the path before him with a dark glint of his own, Genis and Zelda both kept several paces behind Raine in case that dark, mourning turned into a raging volcano.

Initially, Harley tried to fight them, but once Kratos proposed helping rescue the other villagers, Harley became quite cooperative. He'd explained that he was also from Asgard and there was one woman and her brother, Aisha and Linar, that he was indebted to. He wanted to save them, and by extension, the rest of the Asgard citizens, but he hadn't figured out how quite yet.

That was why, he said, that their arrival would help him more than they knew. He could 'escort' them around like prisoners while they actually released the citizens. Then all they'd have to do is wrangle the disoriented people into a single room and, once everyone was finally free, get the hell out of there before Kratos led his team to deal with Kvar.

That was the plan, anyway. But like all plans thought up on the spot, it didn't go quite the way it was supposed to. They passed several patrols that sneered at them while they marched to their 'doom' with Harley behind them. Then they entered the first cell block that they came to expecting to find over half the town's population. It was completely empty.

"Wha… Where is everyone?" Harley cried. He ran up to one of the cells and frantically looked through it before he ran to the next one and did the same. "They're not here! Where could all of those people have gone?"

"The Desians have moved them, then," Kratos said. He gave Harley a hard look. "You wouldn't happen to know where they are, would you?"

"What?" Harley said. "No! I thought they'd be in here! They were in here not a half hour ago."

Raine, her brow knitted in her brooding, turned her dark gaze upon Harley. He took a step back from her as she stared at him and swallowed loudly. "Tell us the truth, Harley," Raine said. "I won't forgive you if this is a trap. And for the ruins that were so callously destroyed, I will have my revenge!"

"I swear I'm telling the truth," Harley said, stammering. "I swear! I don't know whe-"

"_You should believe the simpering blood traitor_."

Everyone in the cell block, already on high alert, jumped a few inches into the air when the voice spoke. They quickly began scanning the room for where it came from. The source, a speaker embedded in the ceiling, became apparent when the voice continued.

"_Emperor Kvar had more pressing matters to deal with at the Balacruf Mausoleum. I, Alphons Sierr, have the honor of running this base in his absence. That job involves maintaining test subjects, keeping discipline, and when the situation calls for it, taking out the trash. That would be you. Good bye_."

"Get ready," Kratos barked out. "They're coming."

"So much for getting in undetected," Genis said as he pulled his Kendama out and gave the ball a few test swings. "I hope Lloyd's okay."

"Here they come," Kratos said. He unsheathed his sword and grabbed his shield. The door opened and Desians poured into the room. Kratos lunged forward and easily dispatched the first four men through the door with a single slash.

Genis was already casting a spell by this time. Harley, surprisingly, was casting as well. He held his sword horizontally in front of him, gripping the hilt in his left and holding the flat the blade against his right palm while concentrating. Side by side, there wasn't nearly as much Mana was welling up around him as around the much younger Half-elf next to him.

"Fire ball!" Harley shouted, raising his sword into the air. The spell went off and shot forward into the growing crowd of Desians battling with Kratos.

"Eruption!" As if trying to outdo the elder Half-elf, a well of fiery Mana burst from the floor in the midst of the crowd of Desians. The fire red tinged Mana gathered into a single point and then exploded, throwing Desians into the air. Kratos, not taking a single moment to get clear of the attack, simple raised a defensive barrier around himself to avoid the worst of the attack before he continue on his merry, chop-chop way.

Zelda was shooting Desian's left and right, every time she could load another arrow onto her bow. The arrows weren't doing very much to slow the Exsphere enhanced soldiers down, but it was clearly having an effect from the growing amount of bloody wounds. Whenever Genis, or Harley, let off a spell, usually ice or fire, she would attempt to shoot through the spell to add an effect to her attacks. It wasn't nearly as effective as what she and Genis did to the Diamond Stalfos, yet it caused more pain than plain old arrows.

However, of all five of them, the one doing the most damage to the most Desians, was Raine. She wasn't standing back and casting healing spells, or light spells. She wasn't running in and out, hitting one guy or woman a few times before retreating. No, the moment that the Desians started entering the room, Raine pulled out her staff and started beating the hell out of any living thing that got close to her.

"For the ruins!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. The Desian who was directly in front of her froze. That turned out to be his downfall when Raine unhesitatingly brought her heavy staff down on top of the man's head. Not even waiting to see if the explosion of red coming out of the Desian's helmet meant he was dead, Raine had already moved on to the next victim.

"YAAAAAA! For the ruins!"

And so the carnage continued.

* * *

**Inside the Wind Drake's Vault**

Navi bobbed and weaved through the air. Behind her glowing blue form, a line of pixie dust and magical glow created a trail for the three big people to follow. And follow they did, right in front of a three story tall, bright green scale covered, serpentine dragon.

Navi flew as fast as her little wings could move, straight for the nearest save spot she knew about. The three big people followed her as fast as their legs could move, though she noticed that the shortest one, the one who wore the scarf, was beginning to pull ahead. Not something she'd have expected from someone with short legs.

The dragon behind them wiggled and weaved its way through the air. It didn't have wings; it flew as if it were swimming through the air like a snake. Another distinctive thing the Wind Drake did was that it did not roar, like a lion, but hissed very loudly, like a high pressure wind.

"Holy crap that thing's gaining on us," Zelos shouted.

"Shut up and run faster," Sheena shouted back.

"Hurry, this way, we're almost there!" Navi shouted, "Hey! This way!" She flew into a dark passage too small to admit the Wind Drake. Her soft blue-white glow illuminated the tunnel ahead of the big people as they dashed in after the fairy.

The Wind Drake attempted to follow them in, but bashed its muzzle against the entrance. It rammed its head a few more times, hissing wildly and causing dust and dirt to fall from above, but to no avail. After a few more moments of attempting to get in, the Wind Drake gave a loud hiss and left.

"That was close," Zelos said. He was breathing hard and doubled over. Sheena, in a similar position, only managed to nod. Navi dinged, like a bell, when she came back to the three of them and bobbed about in front of them.

"Hey! You were almost dragon food! You should be more careful!"

"We didn't know about the dragon," Link said, completely not out of breath or even the least bit winded. "We were looking for a way into the Wind Seal above, but we couldn't open the door. So we looked for a back way in and fell down here."

"Oh, well, now you know better, don't you," Navi said. She bobbed around Link before she suddenly zoomed over to his shoulder and settled down there. Her wings, very much like a large insects, stilled behind her as she swung her tiny feet and lounged on her back. "Phew, that was a lot of work. Big people are too much work. Why can't you be smaller?"

"Hey," Zelos said. His breathing was calmer now. "We didn't ask to be down here."

"What are you?" Sheena asked. She walked up to Link's shoulder and peered at the blue fairy. "Are you one of the Sylph? I've heard they're fairy like."

"What are the Sylph?" Link asked. He tilted his head a little as he thought. "Are there more fairies in this world?"

"Not exactly," Sheena said. "At least, I don't think so. From the research done in the Elemental Laboratory, the Sylph compose the Summon Spirit of Wind. That's just the form they take."

"I don't get it," Link said.

"Kid, she means that the Summon Spirit of Wind takes the form of fairy like beings, but they aren't fairies," Zelos said from the entrance of the small tunnel. He poked his head out to look for the Wind Drake, but couldn't see anything behind the bend in the huge jewel encrusted cavern that this small tunnel was in. "Seems like we lost that thing," Zelos muttered. "Where is this light coming from when it's pitch black outside?"

"There's a piece of a great and powerful treasure that gives off the light," Navi said matter-of-factly. "I was its guardian until that big nasty showed up and started trashing my dungeon. Now all that's left are these small tunnels leading to the wind shrines."

"Wait…" Link said. He frowned as he tried to wrack his brain for the significance of what Navi had said. "This sounds like it should mean something."

"Well of course," Navi said. "Now that you have the scarf, that means you can probably beat the Wind Drake. To the nearest wind shrine! Well? What are you waiting for?"

"First of all," Zelos said. "What makes you think we'd listen to you? We're here for the wind seal on the surface, not to defeat some Wind Drake. Second, even if we were inclined to indulge in your request, we don't even know where these wind shrines are."

"Oh, well then why didn't you say so?" Navi said. She hopped off of Link's shoulder and hovered in front of Zelos' face. "I can show you the way back to the surface, but that big nasty probably is sitting right in front of it. You'll need to deal with him first. I also know of one of the wind shrines. I can lead you to it, but you'll have to be real sneaky like because that big nasty will feel the movements in the air and come chasing."

"I guess this means we head to the wind shrine," Sheena said. "Once we deal with the Wind Drake, we can get back to the surface and start our look for another way into the Mausoleum."

"This is such a pain," Zelos said. "Well, at least there's no chance of my beauteous hair catching fire in this place."

"Navi," Link said, catching the fairy's attention, "you said you protected the treasure making all the light?"

Navi bobbed up and down and said, "Yes. I'm supposed to be guarding it for… something important. I don't remember why, just that I have to guard it or bad things will happen."

Link nodded. "So you are one of the ancient guardians then? Like the one from the Fire Temple?"

"I haven't heard of that before," Navi said. Her wings drooped a little. "Sorry, but I don't know what a fire temple is, or an 'ancient guardian'. All I know is that I'm supposed to guard the shiny thing until the guy with the scarf shows up."

"Don't fret over it kid," Zelos said. He ruffled Link's hair and moved toward the entrance of the small tunnel. "I don't see ugly, so I guess the way is clear."

Navi zipped around the small space a few time before she shot out and into the cavern. She flew up high and then moved closer to the end of the bend to get a look into the rest of the chamber. It was really just one giant room with walls that were covered in twinkling jewels, like stars in the night sky.

Navi looked to the other end of the chamber and saw the Wind Drake. It was coiled around a pyramid like collection of rubble and jewels, at the top of which was the shining treasure that continued to illuminate the cavern. Directly above the shining treasure, cut into the ceiling, was a large hole that was the exit. The Wind Drake hissed as it looked one way, and then the next, peering into its domain for any intruders.

"Well?" Sheena asked when Navi returned.

"He's guarding the treasure but I don't think he'll notice us if we take these tunnels. They run around the main chamber for short distances, but they all reconnect eventually. In order to make it to the wind shrine on the other side of the cavern, you'll have to run from one exit to the next tunnel."

"Alright," Zelos said. He turned around and began walking deeper into the small tunnel. "Let's go."

* * *

**Desian Treasures**

"Hey… they're not Desians."

"They're humans!"

"What are humans doing out here?"

"Hey, old man! You brought humans here! What's the meaning of this?"

"George, untie them."

"Yes, boss."

Fey's eyebrow arched as she watched the group of 'Desians' start arguing. She glanced at Ray and then at Donald, both of whom were similarly perplexed. The old man appeared again, urging all of the 'Desians' to calm down.

"Hold your horses, everyone," the old man said. "Just calm down. It's not my fault I couldn't tell, do you know how dark it is out there? My eyes aren't what they used to be."

"Yeah yeah, whatever Doc," one of the 'Desians' said. One of the men surrounding Fey and her escort, presumably the one who'd spoken, stepped forward and pulled his helmet off. He was a brown haired human with a fresh scar forming on his cheek and hard brown eyes. "My name is Jin," he said as he held out his hand to Fey. Another 'Desian', presumably George, was just now finishing cutting all the ropes used to tie them up. "Sorry about the mix up. Doc's eye sight is horrible without his spectacles."

Fey watched the hand for a few moments before she gripped it firmly and stood up. A couple of the other 'Desians' helped Ray and Donald to their feet. Jin took a step back and swept his arm out into the spacious room.

"Welcome to our humble sanctuary," he said. It was, if Fey described it bluntly, an over glorified storage closet. There were several boxes of food that lay open on the floor, shelves had been torn off the wall to create sleeping or other living surfaces, and it smelled like a horse's stable after a couple night without cleaning. "I admit, it's not much, but it's protected us from those beasts outside."

"The poor souls," muttered one of the men. "Martel save them."

"I understand why you might not want to escape," Fey said. "The monsters have turned rather violent lately, but nothing you couldn't handle with all the technology you have scavenged so far. What's keeping you here?"

"It's what you were talking about out there," the Doc said. "That thing that was 'hunting' you. They used to be human, before the quake."

"Human?" Fey exclaimed.

"No, that's not… possible," Donald said.

The Doc shook his head sadly and continued his story. "All those people that had those damnable jewels put onto their hands; that were forced to work hours upon hours; they turned into these huge, hideous monsters. Oh…" The Doc moved over to a stool fashioned out of a shelf and slumped into it. He lifted his trembling hands to his face to rub it. "I was out there when it happened. All the Desians disappeared someplace with that darn fangled transportation magic they have. Then all the poor humans in the work yards started moaning and groaning. I wanted to help. I'm a doctor. But even I wouldn't have been able to help. Before even a minute had passed, all the humans I could see had morphed into giant beasts with green skin and pus oozing out of open wounds. They all had these great big yellow eyes that looked like a puddle of apple gel gone bad. And the smell, ugh! It's much worse than this lot, let me tell you. They broke through the fences like they weren't even there and started destroying the ranch in a rampage. I ran into this building to hide."

"That's where we were at the time," Jin said. "We were being 'processed' as the Desians called it, when they disappeared. We looked outside and saw the monsters, we didn't know they were human once, and decided to look for weapons to fight our way out with. Those thing are pretty much invincible, nothing we've tried worked." Jin hefted the rifle slung in his arms. "Not even this thing worked against it. It's like they got this weird kind of energy healing them before their wounds get too bad. That's why we haven't left yet. So we holed up in here. The Doc came by wandering. That's when we learned those monsters were human once."

"By the grace of Martel," Ray muttered. "What sickness of the mind would drive the Desians to do something so horrible?"

"From what we can tell," one of the ranch survivors said, "The Desians have to truly be the demons of myth. That's the only thing we could think of that would cause them to turn innocent humans into monsters for no reason at all."

"We found a couple of them wandering about after a while," the one called George said. "They were pretty confused and stuff, so we tricked 'em, tied them up, and tossed them outside. The monsters tore them apart."

Fey's eyes narrowed. "Not all of the Desians have gone?"

"No," Jin said. "Not all of them, but I do believe that all of the Desians in this Ranch have been dealt with by now. At least, none have made themselves known."

"We should probably report this information back to Palmacosta," Ray said. "Plus, we've finished our mission, so we gotta go back anyway."

"You're from Palmacosta?" The Doc asked. "How did you get past the monsters?"

"We weren't attacked on the way in," Fey said. "We were sent out from Palmacosta to find any survivors from Hakonesia Peak, the House of Salvation, or the Thoda area, but there was no one. You're the first sign of life that we've found outside of the city."

"This is horrible," said someone, "it's like we've truly been abandoned by the Goddess to the Desians. We've been condemned to Niflheim."

"Now now," Doc said. "Calm down. No need to get alarmed. Right before I ran into this bunch, I think I found what we've been looking for."

This bit of information perked the ranch survivors up. They all stared at Doc, waiting for him to speak. He took a deep breath, pushed himself to his feet, and said, "It would be faster if I showed you."

"Palmacosta seems like the best place to go once we're out, if these people are really from there," Jin said. He hoisted his rifle onto his shoulder and pointed to the door. "Let's get going." Then Jin turned to Fey and her group and said, "We've been looking for a secret passage that the Desians supposedly dug through the mountain range. The last Desian we captured was ranting about finding it, but never gave up the location before we tossed him outside."

"So you've found this secret passage?" Ray asked.

"Oh, I found it alright," Doc said as he ducked out of the now half open door. The other survivors all followed, with Fey and her escort bringing up the rear. They all followed Doc as he traveled back toward the entrance. The damage to the building began to increase again until they had returned to the entrance.

The survivors all used beams of light that their rifles projected from their barrels to light the way. When Doc turned to a damaged machine in the corner of the entrance, he said, "It's behind there. I'm not strong enough to push it out of the way so one of you lot will have to do it."

A couple of the survivors slung their rifles over their shoulders and gathered around the ceiling high machine. They grunted and heaved after grabbing onto it and pulling. Slowly but surely, the thing scraped across the floor, loudly shattering the deathly silent dark air. After several minutes of effort, the hole in the wall was laid bare.

"Looks like this is it," one of the survivors said. He shined his rifle light into the hole and illuminated a well carved tunnel with dead light fixtures overhead.

"This would explain how Magnius could travel to Palmacosta so fast," Fey said.

"Did you say something?" Jin asked. He turned to Fey as the survivors began filing into the tunnel.

"No," she said. She stepped up to the hole and slipped through. "We should hurry though. I don't think all that noise went unnoticed."

* * *

**A/N:**** Even though I changed the wind dungeon, Navi returns, mostly because she's an important character, who's going to have an important part to play in the upcoming battle with Kvar on the roof of the Mausoleum (Oooh! Spoiler!). I'm cutting a lot of other things out in the mean time to speed the story along. Also, we finally see what those lovely Palmacosta peeps are doing all lone. Seems like humanity is doing just fine in the apocalypse.**

**Anywho, please review. Thanks for reading.**

**Posted: 7 – 28 – 2011**


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